


Lost But Not Forgotten

by Radioactive_Dragon



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Abuse, Blood and Gore, Canon Divergence, Character Death, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Gun Violence, Nightmares, Will update tags later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-22
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:16:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 22
Words: 30,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22851604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Radioactive_Dragon/pseuds/Radioactive_Dragon
Summary: We all know the story of the Van der linde gang, but what if there's a person that was left out and not spoken about for certain reasons? Meet Maxwell Rogers and follow his story as he struggled his way from being on his own up until meeting the gang and running with them until the very end. See his beginning as he makes a dangerous choice that causes him to flee everything he's known.
Relationships: Mary-Beth Gaskill/Original Male Character(s)
Kudos: 13





	1. Death in the family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes are currently glitched, not really sure how to fix that. Sorry everyone.

**Death in the Family**

******May 20th, 1887** ** **

********

_**CRASH!**_ The 14 year old woke from his slumber when he heard the crash. Something felt off about this evening and the boy sat up as he listened for a moment. _**THUMP!**_ Getting out of bed, he went to his bedroom door and opened it as he hears struggling downstairs. _Dad isn't in one of those moods again is he?_ Walking out of his room, he walked down the stairs halfway before freezing at the sight in front of him. On the floor is his mother trying to remove the hands around her neck as she struggles to breathe while his father chokes her out. He wanted to move and get his father off her but his body was in shock as he watched his mother look towards him with tears as there is a sudden and sharp crack. Removing the hands from her throat, his father turns to see his son witnessing the murder he just committed. His eyes met his father's as he sees the fire burning and he immediately turns to run back to his room before being pinned to the wall, the strong smell of alcohol on his father. "Listen here Maxwell and listen fucking well. You will _**not**_ tell anyone in Annesburg about what you just saw. You will lie and say that she passed away in her sleep. Do you fucking understand?" Maxwell too shaken with fear to respond, simply nods as tears start to form. "Good, now go fucking dig a hole behind the barn. Once that is dug, bury the whore." His father released him as he walked into the master bedroom and closed the door behind him. On shaky legs, Maxwell went down the stairs and kneeled beside his mother's dead body before crying. He watched the light from her eyes disappear as her body began to grow cold. Not wanting to anger his drunken father further, Maxwell slowly stood and walked out into the cold night as he heads to the barn and grabs a shovel. He paused for a moment as his eyes met the hatchet hanging on the wall and thought about taking it to his father but decided against it as there would've been too many questions which would've resulted in him getting in trouble.

********

Walking out of the barn, Maxwell moves towards the back as he starts digging his mother's grave. _She didn't deserve this. It was his fault that he didn't do anything to help her and he let her die._ It took him an hour to fully dig the grave before throwing the shovel up and climbing his way out. He really didn't want to bury her but knew he had to. Walking into the house, he closed his mother's eyes and wrapped her up carefully in an unused bed sheet before picking her up and setting her in the back on the cart. Taking the reigns of Winchester, Maxwell led him over towards the open grave before removing the body and gently lowering her in. Climbing out, he picks up the shovel and starts to slowly fill it in. After filling it in completely, Maxwell kneels down and cries. "I'm so sorry mom. I should've helped you. I got scared and froze. You don't deserve this at all. I will get vengeance for you and I will honor your memory even if _he_ doesn't and wants to lie. I will see you again mom. I love you." Wiping his eyes, he stands up and takes Winchester back into the barn before going back into the house. Cleaning the dirt off him, Maxwell heads back to bed, scared of what's to come and what his father has planned.

********

********__****6 years later, August 27th, 1893** ** _ _ ** ** ** **

********

Maxwell sat up in a panic for a moment as he pants from the nightmare. Looking around for a moment, he sees that he's still in his room and sighs as he puts his head into his hands. _Ever since she died, I've had that haunting nightmare from that night because of that bastard. I don't think I can take anymore of it from him. I know what I have to do._ Raising his head, he stands up and winces from the bruise on his side. Grabbing a shirt and putting it on, Maxwell heads downstairs to see that his father isn't home and figuring that he's in town. Walking out of the house, Maxwell moves towards the barn and takes the hatchet off the wall before staring at it for a moment. Gripping it, his eyes narrow before going to his mother's grave and kneeling while setting his hand on the dirt. "I'm going to do what I should have done sooner. I'm going to get revenge for you mom. I owe it to you." He feels a wet nose against his neck as he turns to look. Behind him and ready to set out is Winchester, his mother's tan morgan. Putting a hand on his snout, Maxwell mounts up as he rides to Annesburg. He wasn't going to put up with his abusive father for any longer especially since no one questioned his mother's death or his bruises that would appear after a 'fall'. Reaching town, Maxwell dismounts and walks through the center of town a short bit before seeing his father in the middle of the street stumbling and drunk. "HEY ASSHOLE!" Maxwell shouts at his father and watches as not only does his father turn to look at him, but so does everyone in the street as a few people also walk out of a few buildings to watch. "You should watch your mouth son. You shouldn't talk to your father like that." Maxwell took a few steps towards with the hatchet out. "You are not my father you murdering son of a bitch! You killed mom and made me lie about it! You abused me for the past 6 years and have told everyone lies!" He watched as his father growled and went to pull his gun and without a second thought, Maxwell threw the hatchet hard towards his father. Time crawled slowly as he watched the hatchet flew through the air and embedded itself deep into his father's head as he dropped to the ground. His attention snapped up as he heard a few women screaming in horror and a few men rushing into the sheriff's office. Realizing his mistake, he ran towards Winchester as law started showing up and shot at him. Dodging a few bullets, he mounts up and spurs Winchester on as he rides out of town, law hot on his tail. "Get the outlaw! Bring him in alive!" Winchester ran fast away from town and managed to out pace the lawmen causing them to fall back. "Good boy, let's get out of here. That bastard is finally dead."

********

********__****_ _ ** ** ** **

********


	2. Saved by Strangers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a long 6 years for Maxwell since he killed his father. He's been moving from town to town eventually stopping in Blackwater. After making a risky move and being surrounded by lawmen, his life is saved by a couple strangers.

**Saved by Strangers**

**March 30th, 1899**

It's been a long 6 years for Maxwell since he killed his father and was declared an outlaw. After having fled Annesburg, Maxwell had stayed in Saint Denis for a few days before leaving once word reached the city with news from Annesburg. Traveling the land, Maxwell eventually settles himself near Blackwater and made a living off hunting and selling the pelts and most of the meat, only leaving him enough to survive on. He had also been scouting the general store since he arrived to see if he'd be able to rob it and it seemed like a good score to him. After planning it out, he went to bed and woke up the next day prepared with his decision. Riding into town, Maxwell stops Winchester in front of the store and looks around for a moment. Not seeing many people on the street, he quickly pulls his bandanna up over his long beard and pulled his gun as he walked into the general store. "All your money now!" Maxwell points his gun at the shopkeeper as they start to open the register and get the money out. He noticed movement in the corner of his eye as he looks to see a man running quickly away in the direction of the sheriff's office. _Shit._ Grabbing the cash, Maxwell dashes out of the store and quickly mounts up on Winchester as he starts moving towards the exit of town. As he rides, he hears guns going off behind him as bullets whiz past his head. Pulling his revolver out, he turns and aims behind him as he shoots and takes a couple lawmen out. Facing forward, he guides Winchester to the exit and rides out of town before looking behind him with a smirk. Looking back again, he notices a lawman in front of him riding towards him aiming his gun. Before Maxwell can react, the lawman fires his gun off as it hits him in the shoulder, throwing him off Winchester and onto the ground knocking the wind out of his lungs

Groaning in pain from landing hard on the ground and the shot to his shoulder, Maxwell watches as the law surrounds him with their guns aimed down at him. "Surrender now outlaw and make it easy for us." Before he could respond, the lawmen started dropping like flies around him as a couple men ride up, guns drawn. Slowly sitting up in pain, Maxwell looks at the two men who saved him as one dismounts off his horse and walks to him, extending his hand to Maxwell. "Thank you for taking them out." Maxwell pulls his bandanna down as he takes the man's hand and stands up. "You're welcome kid. Why were the law after you?" Maxwell gives a nervous chuckle as he scratches the back of his head, "I robbed the general store after scouting it out for a couple weeks. Wasn't expecting the lawman who shot me to be waiting for me out of town." The man in front of Maxwell raises an eyebrow as he looks to his friend on the white horse, "Should we?" The man on the horse looks over Maxwell for a moment and nods with a smile, "Young man, my name is Dutch van der Linde and this here is Arthur Morgan. You've got balls to have robbed the general store mid morning and get out mostly intact. You're lucky we just arrived nearby. What's your name son?" Maxwell takes a moment to look at the two, he knew he's heard of the Van der Linde's but never expected to have run into them. "Maxwell. Maxwell Rogers." Arthur looks to him with a nod, "Well Maxwell, it's nice to meet you." Maxwell looks at Arthur, "It's nice to meet the both of you. I wasn't expecting at all to run into your guys. Then again, I've been mainly around New Hanover for the past 6 years." Dutch raises an eyebrow for a moment, "You've been on your own? How old are you son?" "I'm 26. Mainly been going between towns making my living off hunting." Arthur and Dutch seem to look at each other for a moment almost as if they were thinking the same thing before Dutch speaks up, "If you've been on your own since you were 20, what made you rob the store here?" Taking a deep breath, Maxwell stays quiet for a moment before looking at Dutch. "I was declared an outlaw the moment I killed my father in front of the entire town of Annesburg and was chased out."

Arthur looks slightly surprised as Dutch leans forward slightly in his saddle, "Tell me Maxwell, why did you kill your father?" "I killed him because he killed my mother in a drunken rage in front of me when I was 14. I was forced to bury her and live with the abuse he dealt for 6 years before I took a hatchet and threw it into his head." Dutch sits straight up in his saddle as he thinks for a moment as Arthur speaks up, "Christ, that's horrible. You were just a kid at the time." "Indeed he was. Maxwell, come with us. We will patch you up and will be welcomed into the gang. Before we go, where is your horse?" Maxwell looks around for a moment before whistling loudly and seeing Winchester trot over. He mounts up as Arthur gets on his horse and turns around starting back to the camp with Dutch riding beside Maxwell keeping an eye on him. Reaching camp, Arthur hitches his horse before going to find someone as many people look over at the new person arriving. "As long as you earn your keep, you should be fine. Excuse me while I go talk with a few people." Maxwell nods as he dismounts and notices an older woman walking towards him with Arthur, "Come on son, I don't bite. Let's get that shoulder of yours cleaned up." Arthur looks to her and chuckles slightly, "Be easy on him Grimshaw, he's been through a lot." Grimshaw nods as she leads Maxwell to the medical wagon and helps him with his shirt. There wasn't much conversation between the two as she worked on patching him up. His eyes observed the camp for a moment as he sees a few people looking at him curiously before noticing a gal reading a book who looks up to meet his gaze. He feels slight butterflies in his stomach as she looks away with a small blush before Grimshaw catches his attention, "Alright, all patched up. I'm sure Dutch or Arthur mentioned this to you already but I'll remind you just in case, be sure to earn your keep around here and help out when you can." Maxwell nods as he stands up as he notices majority of the camp moving to the campfire as Dutch looks to him and motions him over.

Moving to the campfire with the others, Dutch as Maxwell sit next to him as he speaks, "Ladies and Gentlemen, this here is Maxwell. He is one of us now. He managed to rob the general store and leave Blackwater before getting shot of his horse. Had it not been for myself and Arthur, Maxwell would've been thrown in jail and be sentenced to hang." Maxwell's eyes moved to an older man who spoke up, "Well Maxwell, it's nice to meet you. I'm Hosea and if you don't mind me asking, how old are you and why are you an outlaw?" Looking at everyone around the fire and seeing that they are looking at him for a response, he sighs a bit, "I'm 26 and have been on my own for 6 years. I was declared an outlaw when I was 20 because I murdered my father in front of everyone in Annesburg. He killed my mother in front of me when I was 14 and forced me to bury her and lie about her death while I took his beatings. I had enough and took a hatchet to his head. Ever since my mother's death, I've had this nightmare that comes every other day or every two days and it's of the night she died. Truth be told, it's my fault she's dead. I froze when I should've saved her." Maxwell looks down as he hears collective gasps from a few people as Hosea speaks up, "You were only a kid Maxwell. It isn't your fault that you froze. Her death wasn't your fault. If it means anything to you son, I understand that you had a rough life growing up and your father was more of a bastard, I will gladly accept you as my son. If you want, I can be your adoptive father." Maxwell looks up in surprise as a few others have the same look before Maxwell nods, "I appreciate that Hosea, Thank you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maxwell Rogers at the age of 26 is 6 foot 5. His hair before meeting the gang is long as well as his beard. The color of said hair and beard are orange/red (Yes he's a red head). He's got a toned body and his eyes are sea blue. I do have pictures of him with his changes but i dunno how to add them in lol. If any of you have more questions about Maxwell, feel free to ask!


	3. A Fresh Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being with the gang and new family, Maxwell takes the opportunity to take a trip to Valentine with Arthur.

**A Fresh Start**

A couple days have passed since Maxwell had joined the gang. His shoulder was healing well and he was getting along with majority of everyone, that is until Micah showed his face in camp. Maxwell was getting himself some stew when Micah approaches him and purposefully knocks his bowl out of his hand. Maxwell sighs and looks at Micah who was giving him a dirty look. He'd been warned by the others in the gang about Micah and how he acts around the newer people, he was just hopping that he wouldn't have to encounter Micah but he got his hopes up. "Hello Micah. Something I can help you with?" Micah spits in front of him before glaring, "You don't fucking belong with us kid. You ain't a killer and you're just a big hairy baby." "Micah, I don't want to start anything with you. Please knock it off." Maxwell turns and goes to walk away as Micah grabs his bad shoulder while putting pressure on it and pulls Maxwell back to him. Wincing in pain slightly, Maxwell looks at Micah annoyed as he speaks again, "Who said you could walk away? I ain't fucking done." "Micah, stop. Seriously or I-" "Or what kid? You're going to slap me like the bitch you are? No one here cares about you at all." Maxwell grit his teeth as he tried to keep his cool. He really didn't want to lash out but Micah was pushing him to that line. "Micah stop." Micah scoffs and slaps Maxwell, "Dutch only brought you in because of pity and nothing else. Hosea doesn't care for you either, everyone talks behind your back and hates you. You're weak. You didn't help your mother and you won't be able to help us at all. You're dead weight just like Uncle and Swanson." Maxwell hit his limit when Micah mentioned his mother and yelled, "I SAID STOP!" Maxwell moved quickly and tackled Micah as he starts to throw heavy punches into him, anger guiding his every punch as Micah's nose breaks before he's forcefully pulled off him by Arthur and Bill. The two were having a hard time holding Maxwell back as Dutch speaks up while walking between the two men, "Maxwell! Micah! Would you two behave! I will not tolerate violence between family." Dutch looks at Micah and shakes his head at the man who is sitting up and holding his nose, a deadly look in his eye before his attention changes to Dutch. "Micah, you need to quit hassling and provoking the new people. You're lucky that he only broke your nose and we were able to pull him off quickly." Micah stood up and spat some blood out before walking away as Dutch looks to Maxwell with a disapproving look.

Maxwell could feel the disappointment as the two men holding him release their grip while he takes deep breaths. "I'm sorry Dutch but I drew the line when he mentioned my mother. I'm not going to put up with it. It won't happen again." Dutch hesitantly nods as Maxwell goes to sit down on his bedroll, his head in his hands as he breaths in deeply before a voice causes him to look up, "Maxwell, let's take a ride. I'll let you decide where." Seeing Arthur in front of him, Maxwell slowly gets up and nods. "Think we could ride to Valentine? I want to see what horses they've got in this week's rotation. Maybe even get a haircut and new clothes." Arthur nods as the two of them move towards their respective horses and mount up before riding out. During the ride, Arthur looks over to Maxwell who seems to have a lot on his mind, "You alright Maxwell?" Looking over, he shakes his head. "I let my anger get the better of me because I let Micah get under my skin." Arthur nods, "I understand. But look at it this way, Micah won't hassle you as much because you managed to break his nose. Not many people have been able to and that's a feat upon it's self." Maxwell nods as they continue their ride. Eventually reaching Valentine, Maxwell heads to the barber in the saloon as Arthur waits for him outside, observing the townsfolk but not really paying attention. A short time goes by before Maxwell walks out of the saloon and moves towards Arthur, "So, what do you think?" Maxwell smiles as Arthur lifts his head and looking at Maxwell before looking shocked beyond belief. "Holy shit Maxwell. You look like a totally different person! You clean up very nicely." He chuckles a bit and nods, "Yeah, I figured that I should lose the long hair and change my beard. Thought a mustache would look good on me." "No kiddin Maxwell, I'm impressed. You goin for a new horse now or clothing first?" Maxwell thinks for a moment before walking to the general store, "I'm thinking that I should get the clothing first before going for the new horse." Arthur nods as he waits for him to finish up. Eventually walking out with a new set of clothes and some extra pairs in his bag, he looks over to Arthur, "Alright, time for the horses."

Arthur looks at Maxwell's new clothing and gives a thumbs up to it before walking with him into the stables. "Evening gentlemen! What can I do for you today?" "I'm in the market for a new horse but I would like to stable my old horse here for a good bit." The stable master nods, "Of course! We just got a new rotation of horses two days ago, feel free to take a look and let me know if you have any questions or if you've found the one for you." Nodding, Maxwell takes a look at the horses near him and observing them for a few minutes. His attention moves towards a horse near the end of the stables as they seem to be bobbing their head at him and whinnying for attention. Moving towards the horse, Maxwell holds his hand to the horse as the horse sets his snout in his hand and snorts softly. "Sir, what do you know of this horse here with the silver mane and tail?" The stable master looks through his papers for a moment, "Says here that he was shipped over from Saint Denis after not being able to be sold. He is a black Arabian with silver hair and a very interesting personality. He's had one owner previously but was left at the stables due to his last owner passing away, left him with a name." "What's his name?" "The horse's name is Castiel. Says he's a very loyal and loving horse." Maxwell smiles a bit, "I'll take him and I think that I will also keep the name. I like it." "Alright, let's just fill out the papers, switch your horses out and you should be good to go. I promise to take good care of your old horse while it's being stabled here." Moving back to the man, Maxwell deals with the paperwork as Arthur helps out and leads Winchester inside. With the paperwork finished and paying the man, Maxwell takes the saddle off Winchester and moves it on Castiel and secures it. Leading Winchester into the stall, he puts his head against Winchester's, "You'll be fine here boy. It'll be best for you and you'll be able to get some rest after what we've been through together." Winchester whinnies softly as Maxwell leaves the stall and leads Castiel outside with Arthur walking beside. "Beautiful horse and good choice Maxwell." "Thanks Arthur. Should we head back now or stay the night and head back in the morning?" Arthur seems to think for a moment, "Let's stay the night. Little dangerous to be traveling the roads in the dark." Nodding, they both head to the hotel and rent rooms before falling asleep. The next morning, the two men mount up as they ride back to camp, a smile on Maxwell's face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maxwell's new look that shocked Arthur is the swept back hair and the knightly mustache. The clothes he's been wearing had been the starter clothes. The new clothes he's wearing is a long sleeved white shirt that the sleeves are rolled up with the legion vest, tan bandito pants with the deluxe relentless boots. Oh! and one more thing that I forgot to mention in the previous chapter, Maxwell's voice claim is Kevin Conroy. Also it seems that the notes have glitched slightly so just ignore the next chapter description thing lol. Dunno why that's happening.


	4. The Day Everything Changed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being with the gang for a good bit and seeing they were in dire need of meat, Maxwell goes hunting but not before Hosea speaking with him about an uneasy feeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again the notes seem to be bugged, not sure why but i'm sorry

**The Day Everything Changed**

**Two days before the ferry heist**

Maxwell has been getting along with the gang since he joined and they were all surprised with his new look, even Mary Beth who he teases by calling her Juliet since her love for romantic books. He'd taken to being called Max by everyone after it had slipped out by accident when Mary Beth had said it. He was currently checking everything over to make sure he'd be prepared for the hunting trip standing next to Castiel. Hearing footsteps coming his way, Max looks up to see both Hosea walking towards him. He notices the uneasy look on Hosea's face which causes Max to raise an eyebrow, "Everything okay Hosea?" Hosea scratches the back of his head for a moment before speaking up, "I'm somewhat worried about this hunting trip you're taking. I feel like something bad might happen. Call it an old man's paranoia." Strapping his rifle to Castiel, Max turns to Hosea with a smile. "Hosea, it's alright. Nothing is going to happen because if there are any predators around, Cas will let me know. He's good about that and has been like that since I got him. I'll be back before you and everyone knows it. I should be back before the heist." Hosea bites his lip before sighing, "I guess you're right but just please be careful alright?" "Of course Hosea. I always am." Hosea nods as he walks over towards Dutch and speaks with him as Max goes back to making sure he's got everything before hearing his name being called and to catch something. He turns and catches a bottle of bourbon as he sees Arthur walking over to him. "Nice catch Max. Got everything you need for the hunting trip?" "Yeah, I do. Hosea had an uneasy feeling about me taking the trip but I assured him that everything will be fine." Arthur nods as he sets his thumbs through the loops of his belt, "Well, have a good hunt Max and maybe you can finally ask Mary Beth out when you get back." Arthur gives a sly grin as Max deadpans slightly and gives a nervous chuckle, "It's that obvious huh?" Arthur laughs and nods, "Course it is Max, everyone can see it and are waiting for you to finally go for it." Scratching the back of his head, Max shrugs a bit and looks over towards Mary Beth. "Perhaps I'll do it after the heist." "Alright, I look forward to seeing it. Before you take off, where were you thinking of going?" "I was thinking of heading up towards and around Owanjila lake. I heard rumor of people seeing a rather large buck in the area and was thinking I could snag it for us since it'll feed us for a good bit." "Not a bad idea, good luck Max." Max nods as he mounts up and waves to everyone as he rides off for Owanjila.

Reaching the lake by nightfall, Max camps for the evening after setting up his bedroll and a fire going. After eating some meat, Max falls asleep before waking early the next morning. Packing up camp and extinguishing the fire, Max moves through the trees with Castiel behind him while he tracks. Eventually he comes across a mound and kneels down on it as he looks through his scope to see the very large buck that everyone had been talking about. Lowering his rifle, he looks around the area for a moment to see if there are any predators present. Not seeing any, Max lifts his rifle back up and takes a breath as he goes to take the shot before feeling a painful swipe that throws him into a nearby tree. Groaning and sitting up, he looks up as his eyes widen in fear as a very large and angry grizzly bear charges him as it roars loudly. Quickly getting up, Max jumps to the side as he pulls his revolver and fires a few shots off before getting clawed a couple times that causes his gun to get swiped out of his hands and causes him to stumble back. With his face hurting as well as his chest from the swipes, he could feel blood seeping into his shirt and turns to run to at least give some distance between himself and the angry bear. As he moved to run, he notices that Castiel has bolted away from view before feeling a powerful shove to the ground from the grizzly bear. Before he can get up, Max feels the teeth of the monster dig into his calf causing him to scream in pain as he gets thrown into a tree. Feeling a massive amount of pain throughout his body, Max tries to get up only to stop as his calf seems to give out on him. _Lord, please let me survive this. I want to see everyone again and I want to confess my feelings to Mary Beth. I don't want to die alone here._ The grizzly bear charges again as it bites down on Max again on his lower torso as he takes his knife and slams it hard into the bear's skull a few times before the bear goes limp on top of him.

Coughing up blood, Max slowly manages to crawl his way out from under the grizzly bear and takes his hunting knife out from the skull of the beast. Knowing he'll need a trophy, Max quickly cuts off the bear's front paws before wrapping them and putting them in his bag. Spitting some blood out, Max takes a bit of cloth and tries to make a tourniquet above his bad calf. Using a tree as support, he stands up painfully before whistling for Castiel. Not seeing him after a moment, he tries whistling again only for the same thing to happen. _Dammit, he ran off... Hope he went to the others..._ Looking to the sky for a moment, Max looks at the placement of the sun to determine which way he needs to head towards Strawberry. After a few minutes, he starts dragging himself towards the path and navigates his way towards Strawberry. Having to stop a few times on the trail, he notices the lack of people riding by on the trails as he coughs up more blood before feeling like he's about to pass out. Shaking the feeling off, he pushes himself as he finally sees Strawberry in sight and limps his way into town calling out for help before collapsing in the street. The last thing he sees before passing out is townsfolk running to his side and screaming for people.

**Arthur's P.O.V.**

It was a day before the heist for the others since he and Hosea had another lead. It was close to 2 in the afternoon from what he could tell when he heard the galloping of a horse coming in and smirked as he spoke up, "Hope you got us that buck Max. Can't wait to skin it." Looking up from what he was doing, his eyes widen as he sees Castiel galloping into camp without Max and foaming at the mouth. Turning to the others, he yells over to them as he moves to Castiel to calm him down, "Hey! Castiel returned without Max!" Running to his aid, Arthur is joined by Bill, Sean and Charles as they finally get Castiel calmed down. "Where the 'ell is Max?" "I don't know. He was just supposed to be hunting!" Arthur turns to see both Dutch and Hosea running over as Hosea covers his mouth in shock slightly. Dutch looks to Castiel and notices that he seems to be trying to lead everyone, "Arthur, I'm going to send out a search party." Arthur looks at Dutch and nods, "Who's going?" "You, myself, Sean, Bill, and Charles. Hosea, don't say anything to anyone just yet and try to keep Mary Beth calm. We don't know what we'll find." Hosea nods as everyone part of the search mounts up on their horses as Arthur gets up on Castiel. "C'mon boy, lead the way." Castiel whinnies as he takes off quickly with everyone following. Eventually reaching the spot, everyone spreads out slightly as they all start the search. Arthur looks around as he stops in his tracks and sees a lot of blood, "Guys! Over here!" Arthur moves forward and sees Max's revolver on the ground and picks it up. He hears a collective amount of footfalls as he hears Dutch speak up, "Christ alive. What the hell happened here?" "I don't know but it doesn't look good." Arthur notices a larger gun ahead of him and moves towards it to see Max's rifle and picks it up.

His attention is brought towards Sean as he is heard retching. "Sean you alright?" "No I ain't. I don't what I found but it looks human..." Arthur looks at Dutch with a fearful look as the two of them go to where Sean is and sees what Sean was looking at. A bit of flesh and clothing in front of them as Arthur feels slight heartbreak. He'd have to tell Mary Beth that Max is dead and would have to watch her heart break. Arthur looks at Dutch to see the same look he's got before their attention turns to Bill who calls for them. "Hey! You guys might want to see this. Charles found something interesting." Arthur quickly moves to Bill as Dutch and Sean are right behind him when they see Charles kneeling down next to a very large and dead grizzly bear. "Charles! What did you find?" Charles stands and looks over, "Flesh in his teeth, lot of blood on his snout but that's not the weirdest thing. His front paws are missing and that's a sign of trophy taking. He may have been alive for a bit but considering the amount of blood loss here, I don't think he's going to last long. Plus, we don't have enough daylight to search the entire forest. Dutch, what do you think?" Arthur looks at Dutch as he seems to be thinking a bit before sighing, "Let's search for a small bit before heading back. If we don't find him then we can only assume the worst. I'm sorry everyone." Arthur and the others nod as they take a short bit to search the forest. Not finding any clues, they all reconvene at the horses and hesitantly leave not being able to find their close friend and family member. It's going to be difficult for everyone to move on, especially Mary Beth.


	5. Bad Omens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After surviving all odds against a bear attack, Maxwell receives some bad news that will change his life. Later on, he goes searching for the gang only to get more bad news.

**Bad Omens**

**Maxwell's P.O.V.**

_**Two Days Later** _

Two days after passing out, Max slowly regains consciousness and groans as he opens his eyes. As he opens his eyes, he hears a door open as someone walks in and speaks up, "You are very lucky to be alive Sir. Also luckier that there happened to be a doctor passing through the town at the time. Let's help you slowly get up." The man walks to Max and slowly helps him sit up, pain shooting through his body as he feels wrappings on his chest. _Oh yeah... The bear._ Max rubbed his eyes slightly and looks to his side at the man before feeling a large amount of pain coming from his calf. Wincing in pain, Maxwell moves to hold his calf before the man stops him. "You shouldn't touch your calf right now... I'll go get the doctor for you." The man quickly walks out of the room before returning a moment later and gives Max some morphine to settle the pain. The doctor looks at Max and sighs, "Son, I need you to understand just how lucky you are. You were **very** close to loosing your leg from the damage on your calf. I did what I could to save it but you are missing a good chunk of it and because you are missing some of your calf, you will have a limp and shooting pain. Now I don't know how often you'll get the shooting pains but I will say this, your nerves are completely damage. Other than that major thing, you've also been stitched up from the claw marks on your chest and cheek but they will become scars as they were deep. I honestly don't know how you survived a grizzly bear attack but I can say that you are a lucky son of a gun." Max stares at the doctor in shock a bit as he tries to process everything. _I guess I could work with the limp. The shooting pain is what scares me but he's right, I'm lucky enough to not have lost my leg._

"How long have I been out?" "Two days. You lost a good amount of blood. Where were you when you got attacked?" Max takes a deep breath as he thinks back to what happened. "The forest next to Owanjila lake. I was hunting for my family and the entire time I was tracking, there wasn't any danger around. The moment I went to take the shot on the deer I had been hunting, the grizzly bear just appeared out of nowhere. I fought for my life." "Good lord. You dragged yourself all the way here to Strawberry from Owanjila with no horse? I'm surprised that you didn't pass out on the road on the way here." Max scratches the back of his head and nods. "Doc, I need to get to Valentine. Could you help me get to the stagecoach?" The doctor seems to think for a moment before nodding, "Of course. I was actually heading to Valentine myself so I'll travel in the stagecoach with you to keep an eye on your injuries. If you give me a moment, I will go get everything situated and have someone come up and get you." "Thank you doctor." The doctor nods as they exit the room, leaving Max to his thoughts. After a few minutes, someone comes up and slowly helps Max out of bed and down the stairs as they move towards the stagecoach. Carefully getting in, Max tries to get comfortable as the doctor joins him inside.

An hour and a half goes by before they finally reach Valentine and exit the stage just outside the stables. "I appreciate everything you've done and thank you for passing through Strawberry when you did and saving my life. I'll have to find my family and let them know I'm still kicking." The doctor nods with a smile, "Of course. Just be careful with your leg and what you do. If you find yourself back here in Valentine, I will let my colleague in the doctor's office know. Take care." The man nods to Max as he walks off as Max limps into the stables. "Ah, good day sir! It's nice to see you again, how are-" The stable master pauses as he looks shocked to see the state Max is in, "Oh my word, what happened to you sir?" Max sighs a bit, "Grizzly bear attack that I survived. Yes, I know I'm lucky to survive an attack like that. Unfortunately, Castiel bolted on me and I don't know where he ended up. No, I really don't want to talk about how I managed to survive. How's Winchester doing? I need to take him out." The man nods as he leads Max over to Winchester who whinnies happily at the sight of Max. Taking him out of the stall, Max thanks the man as he limps and leads his horse out of the stable. Once outside, Winchester gently nudges Max as he can see slight worry in his eyes. "I'm alright boy. I'm still alive but not fully in one piece. I need you to take me to Blackwater alright?" Winchester tosses his head and whinnies as he kneels down for Max to carefully get on. "Good boy." Carefully mounting up and minding his bad calf, Max makes his way out of Valentine and towards Blackwater to see his family again. Hopefully they didn't miss him too much or think he was dead.

After riding for a good bit and crossing the Upper Montana River, Max notices what appears to be patrols roaming the area. _That doesn't seem good_. Riding towards where camp is, Max stops just in site of it when he sees everyone and everything gone. _What the hell?_ Thinking for a moment, Max rides close to Blackwater before stopping on a ridge overlooking the town and taking his binoculars out. Looking around, his eyes stop on the ferry and sees many blood pools on the ground around the area before noticing a lot of law in the streets patrolling. _Shit, something bad happened here. I hope everyone is alright._ Deciding not to stick around and not knowing where the gang is, Max rides back to Valentine to figure out what to do for now while he recovers from the attack. _Please let everyone be alright. I hope I can find them again._


	6. A Dangerous Meeting and Reuniting With an Old Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It had been three long weeks since Max was separated from the gang. One day, he's met with someone dangerous to him and potentially the gang if he finds them. Later, he has an unexpected reunion with an old friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter may be a long one so hold on tight! And as reference to the beard style Max will be rocking from now on is The Woodsman beard.

**A Dangerous Meeting and Reuniting With an Old Friend**

**Three weeks later, May 10th, 1899**

It had been a long three weeks for Max. He was still getting used to having the limp and the shooting pain but managed to work through it even when he had an episode of shooting pains during a bad time. He didn't really maintain his mustache and let his beard grow out as it just felt natural. During his long stay at Valentine, Max kept a low profile and didn't want to cause trouble nor did he speak much. It was during those three long weeks that he had gone hunting a lot to get money from and had received a nickname from the townsfolk, _The Silent Hunter_. It seemed fitting for him and he didn't care as he thought trouble wouldn't find him that is until one day, trouble found him. Max had been up north hunting near Brandywine drop when he managed to snag a nice large moose and skinned the animal. It would keep him fed for a good bit and he even took the large antlers with him, rolling them up in the center of the large pelt to which he set on Winchester's back. He missed everyone in the group. He kept praying that they were fine and hoped to see them turn up but there was no sign of them. Winchester could tell something was on Max's mind and gently nudges him, causing Max to come back to the present as he sets a hand on Winchester's snout, "I know. I just miss them boy. Let's get to the station to see if there's any mail from our contact we've been hunting for." Winchester snorts softly as Max mounts up and rides towards Emerald Station, taking his time. Eventually reaching Emerald Station, it was mid-day when he hitched Winchester to a post. He turned and looked to see one other person sitting down on the benches. Not wanting to start anything or talk, Max limps over to the post master and gives a warm smile, "Any mail for Anderson Mitchell?"

The post master turns away to take a look through all of the mail piles as Max leans against the counter waiting. As he waits, he hears a man speak to him, "Fine weather we're having, is it not?" Turning his head slightly, Max notices the man beside him looking at what he assumes are the timetables on the wall. His eyes glanced up to the sky for a moment before looking back at the man and shrugging, "It's decent. Could be better but it seems mother nature wanted to have some clouds in the sky today." Scratching his scarred cheek gently, he looks at the man beside him fully as something in the back of his mind was telling Max not to speak anymore with this man before him and forget about the letters and leave but he chose to ignore it. "Yes, I suppose so." He watched as the man hum while looking around the station almost as if he was waiting for someone to show up. "Say, you wouldn't happen to be coming from out north, would you? Could have sworn I've seen a man who looked similar to you before." Max's eyes narrowed slightly, his gut was definitely telling him to move and get away from the station now. Before he could say anything, his attention moved to the post master as the man sets down a couple letters on the counter. Picking them up and leaving some coin for the man, Max limps over towards Winchester as he responds to the man. "No, not entirely.. Never been up north before, perhaps it was another person." "Huh, _my apologies, then._ " He sensed a bit of venom in the man's voice as he turns and walks back to the bench he was at. Max closed his hand into a fist as he mutters under his breath, "Max, you idiot.." Setting the letters in Winchester's saddlebag, he feels that familiar shooting pain in his calf that causes him to kneel down and very gently massage the pain away. Something in the back of his mind was screaming at him to either get the hell out or shoot the man and he was leaning towards getting out as soon as he could.

He heard the footsteps of the man against the wooden platform get close to him as he hears the man speak up again, "Everything alright, _sir_?" Max continues to slowly massage his calf as he looks at the man over his shoulder, "I'm fine. Just some shooting pain from damaged nerves in my calf, nothing new." Out of the corner of his eye, he notices that Winchester is starting to get slightly restless and agitated almost as if he knew something was going to happen. "I see. May I ask what happened? Seems _pretty bad_ , if you ask me." He watched as the man looked towards his horse as the faintest of a smile appeared on his face before the man looked back at Max. Thinking for a moment before Max finally speaks up, "Grizzly bear got me while I was hunting. I barely survived and almost lost my leg." After a moment, he finally stands back up as the man beside him speaks up, "I see, I'm terribly sorry to hear." Max watched as the man took a couple steps away from him as a wave of uneasiness washed over him. Something about this man made Max question himself and knew he needed answers but the voice in his head was screaming fight or flight. Without realizing it, Max had his palm against the handle of his gun and thought for a moment before taking a chance, "Who are you? You seem to know me somehow. What do you want?" He watched as the man held up his hand, "Just making casual conversation... Unless you have a particular reason to feel guilty around me." He watched the man glance around him before a smirk appears on his face, "Do you... _Mister Rogers_?" His eyes widen slightly as he hears the man in front of him say his last name. _Shit, he's got to be some sort of law. There's no way in hell that a random civilian would know that unless they were living in Annesburg._

Max stares at him with intent, he needed to know. "No one ever just makes _casual_ conversation here. I've gone through this station plenty of times and not one person has spoken to me. What are you? Sheriff? Bounty Hunter?" His unease grew more when he notices Winchester getting more restless with every moment that he's standing face to face with this man. Max watched as the man's hand rested against his own gun before he spoke, "Law is law, I don't believe my title would matter much. _But if you must know-_ " The man stepped back slightly further as he put more distance between them. "Agent Milton, Pinkerton National Detective Agency. I'm not here for you, specifically, _but it certainly would not hurt_ to take you in alongside my primary targets." Max froze at the words the man had spoken. _Pinkerton's... shit, the people running around Blackwater right now. If he's here then that's not good..._ Through his peripheral vision, he sets a quick gaze on the moose pelt on Winchester's back, giving him an idea. Slowly raising his hands away from his gun, Max turns around facing Winchester as he fake surrenders for a moment, "Guess my run is over. But not today, sorry about this." Taking a couple steps towards Winchester and gripping the moose pelt, Max pulls on it with a strong pull as he moves quickly towards Milton, swinging the pelt around causing it to hit Milton in the head. Seeing Milton fall to the ground, Maxwell brings the pelt down on the agent once more to make sure he's out before setting it back on Winchester. With the pelt back on Winchester's back, Max moves to Milton and kneels down to check for a pulse to see if he's still breathing. Feeling a pulse, Max gives a relaxed sigh before standing back up and looks to the post (station) master who's in complete shock with the event that just transpired. "You will say nothing, you didn't see anything. Understand?" The man nods quickly as he gets on Winchester and rides off quickly from the station and towards Valentine. Eventually reaching the town, Max sells the moose pelt before walking into the hotel and heading up to his room he rented. Sitting on the bed, he rubs his face for a moment as he comes to terms with what happened just a little bit ago. _Best thing we can do is lay low and hope to God he doesn't show up._ Sighing, Max lays back on the bed and takes a nap for a couple hours before getting up and heading downstairs to Winchester.

Feeding him an apple, Max moves over to the saloon and walks inside to get a drink, not noticing an old friend at the bar. Leaning on the bar and ordering a couple whiskey shots, he hears someone speak up next to him. "Max? Max is that really you?" Standing up straight and turning to the man beside him, Max looks at him for a moment before realizing he's staring at Arthur Morgan himself. Rubbing his eyes for a moment to see if he's dreaming, he sees Arthur still in front of him. "Holy shit. Are you really here?" Arthur smiles as he looks at the man before him. "Max it really is you! When Castiel ran into camp without you, we feared the worst. We sent a search party but just found a whole lot of blood and well... We thought you were dead. What the hell happened?" Max takes a breath for a moment and sighs, "It's a long story. Is everyone okay? What the hell happened in Blackwater and where did you guys go?" Arthur set a hand on Max's shoulder and looks at him, wincing slightly when he notices the scars on his cheek. "That is also a long story. We lost Jenny, Mac and Davey but picked up a widow while up in the snow. Tell you what, we can trade stories back at camp around the campfire with everyone present. How does that sound?" Max nods quickly, "Sounds fair. Would be easier to tell everyone at once about what happened during what was supposed to be just a hunting trip." "In that case, let's get you to camp. C'mon." Arthur leads Max out of the saloon as he turns to see Max limping out, "You okay?" "Not really but let's just say it's because of the grizzly bear." Max notices Arthur go to a horse he isn't familiar with, a white Arabian, and raises an eyebrow, "What happened to Boadicea?" Arthur sighs and looks at Max with a somber look, "Lost her during the heist. Found this beauty while we were up in the snow. Her name is Athena. For now though, let's get going shall we?" Nodding, Max mounts up on Winchester as he follows Arthur out of town. _Finally, I'm going to see my family again and can finally confess my feelings to Mary Beth._


	7. Confession and a Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Arthur return to camp in the evening and see everyone at the campfire where Arthur shows everyone Max is still alive.

**Confessions and a Story**

Arthur and Max rode along the path as the sun set in the sky causing the night sky to appear with the many stars scattering the sky and the light of the moon lighting the path. "Max, there is one thing that I want to mention real quick. Sean isn't with us right now as we don't really know where he is currently." Max raises an eyebrow, "He get separated during the heist?" "That's what we think. We hope that he didn't get caught but until then, we are keeping an eye out for him." Max nods as they ride up to the hitching posts and dismounts while Max notices that everyone seems to be sitting around the furthest campfire before hearing a whinny that catches his attention. Looking over, he smiles as Castiel trots over to him and pets him. "Hey boy, good to see you again." Arthur gives a chuckle as he starts walking towards the large group with Max following a little bit behind. He watched as Dutch looks up towards Arthur and smiles, "Ah, Arthur! Welcome back son." His eyes shifted to the figure in the dark walking up behind him, "Who's your friend there Arthur?" Max watches as all the heads around the fire turn and look in his direction as Arthur smirks and speaks up, "Ran into someone in Valentine." Arthur looks back at Max as he smiles, "C'mon, step into the light of the fire." Max gets closer as his face is illuminated, a smile on his face as he looks at all the shocked faces. "Good to see you guys again." His eyes move towards a figure on the opposite side of the fire to see Mary Beth standing up with tears, "Max! You're alive!" He watches as she moves behind the circle of people and runs around them as the two hug each other tightly for a moment, "Yes, I'm here alive. I've missed you too Juliet." They stayed hugging like that for a few minutes as Max saw everyone around the fire try to come to terms with the man standing before them. "I was so scared that I wouldn't see you again!" "I was scared too and didn't think I'd return to any of you but I'm here now." A thought came to the front of his mind, _Tell her how you feel about her Max. You've been given a second chance for a reason._

He broke the hug and looks down at her, "There's something I need to tell you Mary Beth." Max watched as she wiped the tears from her eyes and nods before looking up at him, "I'm listening. I'm always listening." Without saying a word, Max pulls her close and deeply kisses her before pulling back a moment later, "I love you a lot Juliet. I have loved you the day since I joined. I was scared that I wasn't going to see you again and tell you how I felt. I almost died thinking that and then fought to survive. Survive to see you and everyone else again. I've been given a second chance and I'm taking advantage of it. I love you." He watched as more tears started to fall down her face as she smiled brightly, "I love you too!" They kissed again before Max sees Arthur smirk as a few people clap before Bill speaks up, "About damn time you confessed. Now we're all wonderin' what the fuck happened to you." Max nods as he takes a seat on the log with Mary Beth sitting next to him. "I'll tell you what happened." He watched as everyone sat on the edge of their seats as they started listening in. "I was tracking a rather large buck and this buck would've fed us for a good few weeks. As I tracked, I kept an eye out for any predators but saw none as I continued on. Eventually I got to a good place to kneel and when I fully saw this buck, he was the size of an Elk and had a beautiful coat. Before I could take the shot, I got pulled back and thrown against a tree. When I looked up, there was a very large and angry grizzly bear. I fought as hard as I could and got messed up in the process. Eventually I finally killed the beast but got trapped under it for a moment before dragging myself out from under it. Tried whistling for Cas but he bolted off so I limped my way all the way to Strawberry where I passed out in the street and woke up two days later. I was lucky to have a doctor passing through and well... I almost lost my leg."

Hosea raises an eyebrow over at Max, "What do you mean that you almost lost your leg? How bad could it be?" "I will show you all what happened but I will warn you all, it's not a pretty sight." Leaning down, Max slowly pulls up his pant leg as his damaged calf is shown when he hears a collective of gasps and a few people cursing under their breath before Dutch speaks up, "How the hell are you still walking with such a damaged calf?" Pushing down the pant leg, Max shrugs a bit. "I don't know but all I know is that I'm lucky to just be walking, well limping actually. The nerves are completely damaged so twice a day I will get some sharp shooting pain that causes me to stop whatever I'm doing and massage it until the pain goes away." He looks over at Arthur who seems to be thinking before he speaks up, "Max, we saw the bear that attacked you. With how massive it was, there is no way that you could have survived that and yet here you are sitting before us with a beard, which looks good on you by the way. But I do have a question. How the hell did you not hear the bear coming at you?" Max looks into the fire for a moment as the day replays in his head before shaking his head, "That's the thing, the bear was nowhere near me when I knelt down. I looked around before going to take the shot. Hell, even Cas didn't react like he normally does when predators are around. The grizzly just appeared out nowhere." Everyone was quiet for a couple minutes before Hosea speaks up, "Well, you're alive and that's what matters. We are more than happy to have you back son. You should get some rest since you look like you've had a long and rough day." Max nods as he stands and limps over to his bedroll while Mary Beth watches as he struggles slightly. She looks to Dutch and Hosea for a moment as she thinks, "Dutch, Hosea? Do you think that Max and I could have a tent that we could share with a cot or two?" Dutch seems to think as he rubs his chin for a moment and looks at Hosea who seems to have the same thought, "An extra tent means more work and another thing to protect Mary Beth." "I know but I don't think Max would mind taking care of it. He did survive a grizzly bear after all and not many people live to tell the tale." "That's true. We'll talk more about this tomorrow." Mary Beth nods as she stays by the fire with everyone else as they talk about Max's return and his luck.


	8. Drinks and a Brawl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Max now back with the group, Arthur takes Max with him to Valentine for a drink to celebrate with Javier, Bill and Charles only for it to result in a brawl. Afterwards, they get a friendly visit from a rather dapper and sly gentleman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just want to say it here real quick, Max will be joining in the jobs (missions from the game) but not all of them. Just like this chapter, Max will be taking the lead sometimes and others it'll be Arthur. In the jobs that Max won't be joining, he will be building his relationship with Mary Beth and getting closer to her.

**Drinks and a Brawl**

A brisk morning breezed bushed over Max as he slept until he was awoken by the sharp pain in his calf causing him to sit up quickly and massage it slowly. He hears a pair of footsteps walk over in his direction causing him to look up and see Arthur with a worried look on his face. "You alright Max?" "Not entirely considering I was awoken by sharp pains running through my calf." Arthur frowned slightly as he starts thinking for a moment. "Have you seen a doctor about this?" Max nods and sighs, "I did. Both in Valentine and in Saint Denis and they said the same thing. There's nothing they can do about the damaged nerves. It's just something I have to live with." Arthur sighs and nods, "Alright well I wish there was somethin' that I could do to help you but for now, would you like to join me over at the saloon for a drink with Javier, Charles and Bill? You look like you defiantly need one and it'll be a good chance to celebrate your return." The pain in Max's calf dissipated a bit as he slowly stood up and nods, "I would enjoy that and I'll take you up on the offer. Though I bet you $30 that Bill starts a fight." Arthur laughs and waves off Max for a second, "$30 says it's Javier." A chuckle comes from Max as he nods, "Deal. Let's get going then." The two head to the horses as Max places his saddle on Castiel before mounting up and following Arthur to Valentine. Reaching the saloon, they both dismount and hitch their horses to the post before walking in and seeing Javier and Charles at the bar with two ladies Max remembers.

He watches as Javier turns towards the two of them and calls them over, "Guys! Over here! Come over here, I want you to meet our friends." Arthur nods, "Nice to meet you." Max stands next to Arthur as the gals talk with Arthur before noticing Max as they walk away, "Let us know if you want another good time Anderson!" Max scratches the back of his head as he looks at the guys beside him who are staring at him. "Anderson?" "You know those two women?" Max sighs and nods as he joins the three in drinking shots, "During the 6 years I was on my own, I used an alias and well... I might've had some fun a few times. Let's just forget about that and celebrate that I've returned." They nod as they all take a couple shots before Arthur brings up the question, "Where's Bill?" Javier shakes his head and leans against the bar, "Oh, man, I dread to think about it." Max chuckles slightly before noticing Bill walk through the doors and motions to him, "There's your answer Arthur." They watch as Bill walks into someone and start arguing before Arthur speaks up, "He about to kiss that guy or punch him?" A second later, Bill headbutts the man as Javier chuckles, "Oh, and we have our answer." As Max gets ready to brawl, he looks over to Arthur with a smirk before grabbing a guy and punching him a few times, letting him hit the floor to pass out. As he knocks out a second man, his attention is brought towards the stairs as Tommy walks down wanting to know what is going on.

Seeing Arthur busy with a couple guys, Max takes the liberty to go save Javier and punches Tommy in the back of the head. Before he can throw another swing, Max gets grabbed and thrown over the table before being picked up and tossed out of the window, causing him to fall on the boardwalk and roll off into the mud below. Catching his breath for a second, Max gets up as quickly as he can as he backs up slightly seeing Tommy walk down the steps, "Come on, Anderson. Let's dance." As he starts fighting with Tommy, Max notices out of the corner of his eye that Arthur, Bill, Javier, and Charles are standing on the boardwalk watching him and cheering him on as well as the townspeople gathering to watch the street fight. With the slight distraction, Tommy grabbed Max and threw him down into the mud as he knelt down and started to try to push his head into the mud before Max elbowed him in the face and kicked Tommy in the groin. With him stunned for a moment, Max takes the opportunity to push him on his back and lay into his face with very strong punches. Before he can continue, one of the townsfolk stops him and begs Max not to continue. Taking a deep breath, Max stands up slowly and limps his way over to the general store steps before a familiar voice calls out, "It seems that a grizzly bear can't keep you down dear boy." Looking over, Max smiles as he spits out some mud as Dutch walks up with Josiah Trelawny behind him. "Look who we found sniffing about." Before Max can speak up, Arthur walks up beside him and smirks, "Josiah Trelawny. Well, well. I thought you'd gone to New York." "And miss all this glamour? You must be joking. And Maxwell, good to see you still alive and almost in one piece it seems." Wiping mud from his face, Max nods with a chuckle as he sits down slowly on the stairs, "I might've used up all my luck escaping that bear." Max listened to the conversation quietly and raised an eyebrow at the mention of Sean. As Charles, Javier, Arthur, and Josiah take off to go rescue Sean, Dutch looks at Max sitting down and motions to a water barrel nearby, "Max, go get yourself cleaned up. Last thing you need is Grimshaw on your ass about all that mud on you. I'll see you back at camp." Max gives a thumbs up as he watches Bill leave with Dutch before getting himself cleaned up. Moving to Castiel, he mounts up and rides back to camp.


	9. An Evening Ride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max takes Mary Beth out for a date while Arthur saves Sean. Later on, Sean and Max spend some time catching up.

**An Evening Ride**

Returning to camp, Max limps his way over to his bedroll to see Mary Beth sitting down next to it reading a book. "You enjoying that book Juliet?" He watched her look up at him with a smile before it turns to one of shock. "Max, you're covered in mud! What happened?!" Looking down at his clothes, he chuckles slightly and scratches the back of his head, "Got into a bar fight with the guys and ended up going toe to toe with someone as tall as me. I won the fight though. I was wondering if you perhaps would like to go on a ride to Scarlett Meadows for a date?" He watched as she bit her lip slightly and and nods, "I'd love that but I think you need to change first." Max looks at his shirt and vest for a moment before nodding, "Yeah, I probably should. Luckily I keep spares of my clothes in case something like this happens." With a smile, he moves to two crates of his stuff that was saved in Blackwater and pulls out a black shirt and a second spare vest as he removes the muddy vest and shirt off of him. Setting the two muddy clothing articles down, he notices Mary Beth staring at his chest causing him to raise an eyebrow. "Like what you see?" He watched as she stood up and gently set her hand on his chest as she traces the claw marks before noticing the bite on his side, "You must have been in so much pain. I'm glad you survived the encounter and I didn't realize just how toned your body is." He smirks as he feels her fingers brush against his chest hair before kissing her forehead. "Surprises are the best aren't they?" Slipping the shirt and vest on, he looks towards the horses for a moment before looking back at Mary Beth. "Let's get going shall we?" She nods as they both walk together to the horses, "Juliet, you can take Winchester." He watched as Winchester brushed against her gently before kneeling down for her to climb up. Getting on Castiel, the two of them ride out.

Eventually reaching Scarlett Meadows, Max looks over towards Mary Beth to see her smiling, "Thank you for letting me ride Winchester. He's a fine horse." He saw her hair glowing in the evening sun. Never did he think he'd be this lucky. He knew his luck began to change the moment he ran into Arthur at the saloon. He nods to her with a gentle smile, "You're welcome Juliet. If you want, he can be your mount since I've got Castiel." "If it's alright with you, that is. I know how much he means to you after all." Max nods as he gently scratches his scarred cheek, "I insist. I just don't have the heart to stable him again and I know he needs a rider so why not one he feels safe with? Mom always told me that he's smarter than you think and knows when to behave." Seeing her smile made his chest warm up. He wanted to give her the best and knew she'd love it no matter what. Eventually he'd have to plan to get out of the gang if they were going to want to start a family but that was so far into the future and he didn't want to rush things as he wasn't sure if she wanted kids. Breaking out of his thoughts, he sees a nice open field and motions to it for Mary Beth, "This a good spot for you?" "It's perfect! I love it!" He smiled as they spent some time together just talking and watching the two horses act like brothers. With the sun going down, Max stands up and stretches a bit, "What do you think about robbing some unfortunate souls on our way back to camp?" She giggles and nods, "That sounds like a perfect ending. How are you so sweet?" Max shrugs and smirks, "Maybe I've got my mother's sweetness." As he is about to take a step towards Castiel, a familiar shooting pain in his calf causing him to kneel down and slowly massage it. He felt Mary Beth get close and help massage his damaged calf, "Oh, I wish we could make this better." He sighed a bit and nods, "You and me both Juliet." Max looks at her as she kisses him, "You're still alive and that's what matters. Otherwise, who knows how different things could have been." He returned the kiss, "Those who went on the search party would have found my mangled corpse and you would've been very torn over my death. But I managed to survive and I'm here now with the woman I love and nothing is going to change that."

She smiles as they both stand up and mount up. Riding to the state line, they both get ready as Winchester plays dead and Max moves to the treeline nearby with his bandanna up and shotgun ready. He watched Mary Beth kneel down and start fake crying as a couple on expensive looking horses ride up as they start talking. He saw the man dismount and move towards Mary Beth as he takes his cue and rides up, pointing his shotgun at the couple. "Nice and easy. Everything you've got, hand it over." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Winchester stand up and shake the dirt off as the man held his hand up while pulling his wallet out, "We don't want trouble. You wouldn't shoot an unarmed gentleman, would you?" His eyes narrowed slightly and to prove a point, he aims his gun to the air and fires, "I'm not stupid. A very wealthy looking couple out here on their own would have some protection and I hope you realize that I'm an outlaw. Just hand over everything you've got." The couple nods as they start handing Mary Beth everything before finally setting his shotgun on his shoulder and lift a finger towards them. "You will say nothing about this encounter to anyone and we will let you be on your way. Understand?" They both nod quickly as Max nods, "Then be on your way." He watched as the two rode off quickly and Mary Beth joined beside him. "A nice haul. Shall we return?" Mary Beth nods as they ride back to camp quickly.

Eventually reaching camp, they both dismount and head into camp as Mary Beth goes further in to do some chores while Max moves towards the donation box. Hearing someone walk up behind him, Max looks to see Sean back with a smile. "Max! You're alive! You scared the 'ell out of all of us. What the fuck happened to you?" "Let's go sit down and talk about it." He watched as Sean nods as they both move to the table and sit down with whiskey bottles. "So what happened?" Taking his gator hat off and setting it on the table, Max sighs as he runs his fingers through his hair before speaking, "When I was hunting, there weren't any predators around. When I was about to take the shot, a grizzly bear came out of nowhere and just started throwing me around like a rag doll. My calf received the worst amount of damage and managed to kill the bear. Unfortunately I had to crawl my way out from underneath the beast and wrap my leg before dragging myself to Strawberry." Sean looks at him surprised, "Jesus, that's horrible Max. I'm glad you're still kickin' but how bad is the damage to your calf?" He leaned back as he slowly pulled his leg up on the table and pulled his pant leg up to reveal his calf. "Max, how the fuck are you still walking?" Max shrugs a bit as he pushes the pant leg down, "Luck? I don't know Sean. I was very close to loosing my leg. But let's drink to celebrate me still being alive and you being rescued by Arthur." Sean laughs as he nods, "You owe me a rematch with that drinking contest. You got lucky the first time but I want to do it again to prove I can beat you." "Alright, you're on Sean." Smiling, Sean gets up and grabs the whiskey box as he brings it to the table. With the both of them taking a bottle, they being their drinking contest. Eventually, Sean gets up and runs to a bush to throw up. Chuckling, Max sets down his semi full bottle and shakes his head, not even feeling too drunk. "You lost for a second time Sean, I don't think you should be doing drinking contests with me anymore." Sean returns and nods, "I think yer right Max. Though I'm going to lay down now. You take care of yourself and keep kickin' ass." With a wave, Max slowly gets up and moves to his own bedroll as he lays down and falls asleep.


	10. Dealing with Debts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a couple days of getting comfortable and readjusted to camp life, Max helps Arthur with the debt collecting.

**Dealing with Debts**

A few days have gone by as Max finally gets readjusted into camp. During those days, he'd been helping out with chores around camp, talking with others and spending time with Mary Beth when they both have some free time. He had watched Arthur come and go throughout the couple days doing different tasks that have been needing done. One morning, Max watches as Arthur reluctantly talking with Strauss before walking to the horses. Setting the ax down from chopping wood, Max limps his way over to Arthur who is mounting up on Athena and nods to him. "Hey Arthur, mind if I tag along with you? Need to get out of camp for a little bit." Arthur seems to think for a moment before nodding, "Yeah, c'mon bear killer. I can take the lead on two of them and you can take the lead on the other two. Sound fair?" Max smiles and nods as he moves over towards Castiel and mounts up. The two of them ride out as Max follows Arthur over to Emerald Ranch and watches Arthur get into fist fight with Cooper after the man refused to hand the debt money over. As the man falls to the ground unconscious and Arthur takes the debt money from him, Max hears someone behind him yelling about how Arthur is a thief. Sighing, Max moves Castiel over to the man and raises a finger at him, "Stay out of this. The man owed debt money and refused to hand it over. Don't say a word or we'll have a problem. Understand?" His eyes narrow at the man before watching him nod quickly and walking away. Turning to Arthur, Max sees a smirk on Arthur's face as he mounts back up on Athena as they ride over to the small homestead nearby looking for Chick Matthews. Staying near the field of wheat, Max watches as Arthur speaks with the ranch hand before noticing a young man panicky get onto his horse and yell back to Arthur something. Before the young man can fully take off and ride away, Max takes his lasso out and throws it at him, catching him and pulling him off his horse. "Nice throw. Now Chick, hand over the debt money." He watched as the young man gives a location of the money as Arthur takes off towards it. A few minutes later, Arthur returns and nods to Max as he removes the lasso from the man.

Riding away from the ranch, the two ride to a small homestead. "So what's this man's name?" "A Mr. Wrobel. No first name as Strauss didn't tell me it." "Alright, let's see if he's more willing to hand it over." Dismounting off Castiel, Max follows Arthur into the home as the man speaks in another language unknown to either of them as Arthur sighs, "Goddamn it." Max keeps an eye on the man as Arthur tries to explain before realizing that the man speaks German. _"Good sir, we will converse in the language of the Empire."_ He watches as Arthur shakes his head and waves his hand at the man, "Nah, I don't speak German neither." He leans over to Arthur and whispers into his ear, "You may not speak it, but I do. I understand what he's saying." Arthur looks to Max for a moment with a raised eyebrow, "Since when?" "Always have been able to. Mom taught me German growing up." "Alright well if you can, then translate for me." Max nods as he speaks to the man, _"My partner here may not speak German but I do. I will be translating for him."_ "I'm here for money. Money. That you borrowed from Leopold Strauss." He looks at the man and translates before the man stutters a bit. "Aha...aha..err..." Arthur continues to pressure the man as Max continues to translate it before Arthur grabs the man and threatens him. After a minute, Arthur is going around the home collecting valuable items while the man stands against the wall. As Arthur finishes it up, the two of them walk out of the home and mount back up on their horses. "Alright, got one final one. A Mr. Thomas Downes." Max raises an eyebrow at Arthur, "Thomas Downes? The same guy that stopped the fight between me and Tommy?" Arthur seems to think for a moment before slightly nodding, "I believe so, maybe. Let's get going." "If it is the same man then let me talk with him. Just stand at the horses with your bandanna on and look intimidating. If I need help then I'll call you over. Fair?" "That's fair and when were you going to mention about you being able to speak German?" Max shrugs as they start riding, "Figured it was something that I didn't need to mention." Arthur nods as they continue riding.

Eventually reaching the home, Arthur and Max notice the man they are looking for in the garden. Arthur slips his bandanna on and stands next to the horses as Max moves towards Thomas. "Mr. Thomas Downes?" "Yep, that's me." "You owe us money." Max watches as Thomas raises his rake towards him defensively and goes to swing it at Max before Max catches it and yanks it from him as Thomas falls back onto his ass as he tries to scoot backwards with his hand raised and coughing. "Were you seriously about to hit me with a rake? Look Mr. Downes, you owe us money and it's time to pay up." "Please Anderson, be reasonable! I have a family!" Max sighs and shakes his head as he watches Thomas use the fence to stand up before Max puts a hand on Thomas' shoulder and points his finger at him, "Family or not, you borrowed money from our business partner Herr Strauss. You owe him. You took the money and he wants it back." Max watches as he's about to say something before Thomas coughs up some blood as it lands on Max's face. Stepping back slightly, Max wipes his face and spits before looking at Thomas, "Where's our money?" "I don't have it." Max looks to his side towards the home, "Sell the place then." "We already owe more than it's worth." Max sighs as he steps away from Thomas as he collapses to the ground as his wife and son run out towards him. Looking at her, Max walks out as she speaks up "If we could just have more time." "We aren't a charity ma'am, get us the money. We'll be back in a couple days." He turns and wipes the rest of the blood off his face as he moves towards Arthur. "You good Max?" "Yeah, I'm fine. We just need to return in a couple days to get the money." Arthur nods as they both mount up and ride back towards camp.


	11. Nightmares and Robbing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max gets awoken from his sleep by a nightmare combining two haunting things from his past. Later on he joins Arthur on a train robbery.

**Nightmares and Robbing**

_**THUMP!** Max looks around and notices that he's in a forest. One that looks vaguely familiar to him. Looking around, he hears the sound of crunching of bone and starts to follow the sound. Walking for a little bit, the sound gets louder as he finally moves around a tree only to freeze in place from the sight before him. Laying on the ground before him with grey dead eyes staring at Maxwell is his mother. Looking at her, it looks like she just died not a moment ago before her body is violently grabbed and shook. Breaking his gaze, he looks towards the figure that is tearing his mother apart to see a large grizzly bear. His body freezes again as the bear lifts their head and turns towards Max to reveal the same bear that had attacked him. The bear looks at Max and roars loudly as he snaps out of it and starts running away before hearing heavy footfalls behind him. Looking over his shoulder for a moment, his eyes widen in fear as the bear is right on his heels. Moving to his right, he darts past a couple trees before feeling a swipe to his back causing him to slam into a tree. Groaning in pain, he gets up and goes to run again before he feels a heavy paw land on his back and holds him down. Struggling to move, he tries to slip out from the paw before feeling a set of teeth rip into his calf._

Sitting up quickly and panting, Max looks around at his surroundings to see he's in his and Mary Beth's tent at camp. He sighs and wipes the sweat off his forehead before picking up his pocket watch to look at the time. _**2:45am**. Damn, only 3 hours of sleep_. He quietly sighs and carefully leaves the cot making sure that he doesn't wake Mary Beth up. Slipping on his coat, Max steps out of the tent and stands in the cool night air. He stood out there for a few minutes before feeling a hand on his arm and hears Mary Beth, "Max? Are you alright?" He turns to look at her to see a worried look on her face and gently pulls her into a hug. "Couldn't sleep. Both nightmares decided to combine.." "Is there anything I can do to help you?" Max gently kisses her forehead as he thinks for a moment. "Perhaps maybe you can read one of your books to me to help?" She looks up at him and nods with a gentle smile, "I think I can do that." Moving back inside, Mary Beth picks up one of her books and sits down on the cot as Max lays down while resting his head on her lap. Running a hand through his hair, she starts to read from her book as he closes his eyes while listening before he eventually falls asleep. A few hours pass by before he wakes up to the sound of the camp and notices that Mary Beth had managed to lay against him with her head on his chest without waking him up. Gently moving his arm, Max brushes some of her hair out of her face as she starts to stir a bit. "Good morning love. Thank you for helping me last night." "You're welcome Max. I'll always help you with anything." The two of them get up as they move out of the tent and start their day.

A few hours pass as Max is currently chopping wood before he's approached by Arthur. "Hey Max, got a minute?" Chopping the log in front of him, Max wipes the sweat off his forehead and looks at Arthur and nods, "Course I do. What's up Arthur?" Arthur scratches his beard for a moment before speaking up, "John put together a job for a train robbery and I was wondering if you'd be up for it with me, him and Charles." Setting the ax down, he thinks as he sets his gator hat back on before nodding. "Yeah I'd be up for it. Is it going down tonight?" "Yeah it is. I'll be waiting at the site and let you come over with John and Charles. Get everything you need to be ready and join them when you're ready." Max nods as he gathers up the chopped logs and limps towards the campfires to distribute them before moving to the tent and gathering his equipment. Gathering everything he needs, he walks out and moves towards Castiel and meets up with John and Charles as the three of them ride towards where Arthur is. Riding up, Max raises an eyebrow as he sees Sean next to Arthur. He watches as John questions him while Max hops on the back of the oil wagon as the others start climbing on. Eventually reaching the spot and stopping the wagon on the tracks, Max carefully hops down and helps Arthur with the horses before moving as fast as he can to the treeline with the others to wait while pulling his bandanna up. As the train shows up, everyone moves up and takes their positions on the train as Max follows Sean to the back train car. As Sean opens the door, Max watches as Sean gets a gun butt to the head which causes him to stumble back as Max pulls his revolver and shoots the guard in the head. A door opens behind Max causing him to turn and see Arthur walking out with his gun raised as he shoots above Max's head. A second later, a body from above falls down off the train as it falls to the ground with a thump. Nodding to Arthur, Max helps Sean behind one of the boxes before feeling that all too familiar shooting pain through his calf causing him to kneel down against the box and massage it. "You alright Max?" "Yeah, I'm fine. Just some pain, nothing new." As Arthur walks out of the train car, their attention is brought to a few lawmen showing up before things go south and they start firing their guns, taking out the lawmen showing up. Spotting a small break, everyone gets on their horses and bolt away as they lose the lawmen a couple minutes later. Splitting the money up, they eventually split up themselves with Max riding with Arthur back to camp. "Your leg doing alright Max?" "Yeah, my leg is fine. The pain is gone for now but I will defiantly feel it later." "Alright well, make sure you get some rest after everything." "I will and you too Arthur." Max nods to him as he hitches Castiel to the post and moves to his tent to lay down after a successful robbery.


	12. A Brawl at Camp

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few days after the train robbery, Max was around camp when Micah returned to camp and causes issues with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even though it takes a bit after the mission of getting Micah free from Strawberry to start the mission that has Arthur and Micah do a stagecoach robbery in the game, I'm having it so that Micah and Arthur went to do a few hours of recon before doing it and returning to camp.

**A Brawl at Camp**

**Two days after the train robbery.**

Max had woken up early in the morning as his calf had triggered pain that caused him to sit up and try to massage it away. When he sat up, he made sure not to wake Mary Beth up as he quietly massaged his calf before eventually getting up from the cot and slipping his shirt on. Picking his gator hat up, Max puts it on as he limps his way over to the stew pot where he sees Arthur standing there with an annoyed look. Taking a bowl of stew, Max takes a bite of it before looking at Arthur, "You alright Arthur?" Arthur sighs a bit and shakes his head, "No, unfortunately while you and Mary Beth were out on a date yesterday, Lenny came in panicked only to reveal that he and Micah got into some trouble in Strawberry and Micah was thrown into jail. Dutch is having me go rescue Micah from Strawberry even though I feel like it's going to be a bloodbath just trying to get him out." Taking another bite, Max shakes his head a bit as he sighs, "Why does Micah have to get into trouble all the damn time? Is he trying to get himself killed as well as us?" "Fuck if I know Max. That bastard is nothing but trouble for us but Dutch doesn't want us to abandon him because he's 'family'. I'll be leaving shortly to head over." "Good luck with that Arthur." Arthur nods as he drinks the rest of his coffee before heading to Athena and riding out of camp. Finishing his stew, Max starts moving towards the wood chopping ax before he's intercepted by Mary Beth with a smile. "Good morning Juliet. How are you this morning?" She smiles as she kisses him, "I'm good. Slept well and I'm rather glad that you didn't have a nightmare." With a chuckle, Max returns the kiss with a hug. "Glad you slept well love. Though we should probably get started on the chores like every else is." With a nod, Mary Beth kisses his cheek and walks over to work on the laundry as Max moves towards the tree stump and starts chopping wood.

A few hours pass as Max was carrying a hay bale as a couple horses ride in causing Max to look over while he sets the hay bale down next to Silver Dollar and Brown Jack who immediately take interest in it. Max sees Arthur riding up angry with Micah just behind him riding in. Moving over towards the table and leaning against it, Max crosses his arms as he watches Arthur quietly walk into camp and nods at Max before his attention is brought towards Micah. "Well look what we have here. It's the one person who went missing before the heist and was presumed dead. You should've stayed dead, bear bait. You don't belong with us still." Max's eyes narrow a bit as he stays leaning against the table, "Bear bait? That's a bit childish Micah coming from you and news flash for you, I do belong here with everyone else and have doing on of my part to help around while you cause a shit ton of unwanted trouble causing you to get thrown into jail. You're a danger to everyone here." He watches as Micah chuckle darkly as he scratches the side of his face, "Oh Max, Max, Max. You should really shut the fuck up. I'm not a danger to everyone. I'm doing my job a while lot better than you are without disappearing and ending up a bear's chew toy and ending up surviving somehow." Looking to his side, Max notices a few of the gang members gathering to watch the standoff between the two men. Sighing, Max removes his hat and sets it on the table beside him before running a hand through his hair as he looks at Micah and stands up. "You know, I was out trying to get us food since we were low. I don't see you going out hunting for the group and helping in that regard. From my time being back I have helped with jobs and hunting."

Micah chuckles darkly again as he seems to walk past Max before Max gets a punch to the back of the head. Groaning in pain for a moment and holding the back of his head, he hears Micah taunting him before Max quickly turns around and lands a strong punch to Micah's jaw causing Micah to smile with some blood on his lips. Before Max can react, Micah punches him in the nose before tackling Max to the ground and laying into him. Max throws Micah off him as he spits out some blood before throwing his own punches at Micah. Before Max can continue, Micah kicks Max in the stomach causing him to kneel down coughing for air before getting kneed in the face. Falling back onto his back, Max coughs up some blood before Micah kneels down and lays into him again as Micah gets pulled off by Arthur, Bill and John while Hosea, Charles, and Javier go to Max to help him up and move him to his tent. "Micah! Would you knock it off with taunting and assaulting Max?! He's part of this family and you need to respect that. I don't want to tell you again, seriously." Dutch says as he moves towards Max's tent with a worried Mary Beth following behind as they get to work helping Max the best they can.


	13. A Romantic Evening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After taking some time to heal from the fight with Micah, Maxwell takes Mary Beth out on an afternoon date that later turns into them spending the evening at the valentine hotel for some fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say this right now, just like my other story I am sorry about the crappy quality of smut. I'm not the best with it but I will try to do my best with it and I'm not going to go into full detail of the entire night of them having sex so I'll leave it to your imagination. Sorry in advance! Also sorry for the delay in chapters, I'm doing the best I can while also dealing with work during this difficult time in the world. Stay safe all of you.

**A Romantic Evening ******

******_3 days later_ ** ** **

A few days passed as Max healed from the fight against Micah with Mary Beth at his side. Walking out of his tent finally, Max dawns his gator hat as he grabs a bowl of stew and joins everyone at the campfire. Dutch looks up to Max and gives a smile, "Ah! Maxwell, good afternoon! Nice to see that you're finally up and walking around. How are you feeling?" Sitting down and taking a couple bites, Max looks over to Dutch and shrugs slightly. "I'm alright, still hurt slightly." "I bet. Micah gave you a beating but you also managed to give him a few good hits. What do you plan on doing today?" Eating the rest of his stew, Max thinks for a moment as he sets down his plate before getting hugged from behind by Mary Beth. Smiling, Max turns his head to her and kisses her cheek before looking back to Dutch, "I'm thinking a nice day out with Juliet. Take time away from camp to spend time with her." Dutch nods as Max gets up and limps to his pack as he picks it up. "So where are we going Max?" Turning to face Mary Bell, he smiles as he kisses her. "I was thinking we could spend some time down at the river relaxing. Maybe do some fishing or reading together just enjoying each other's company." Mary Beth smiles with a nod, "That sounds very lovely Max. Shall we get going?" With a nod, Max makes his way over to Castiel and mounts up before offering his hand to Mary Beth who graciously takes it and gets pulled up behind him. Wrapping her arms around his waist, Max turns Castiel away from camp and gently spurs him on as they ride down to the river.

********

Reaching the river, Max dismounts as he helps Mary Beth down before hitching Castiel to the tree. "What would you like to do first Juliet?" Mary Beth thinks for a moment before smiling, "How about you teach me how to fish?" With a smirk, Max nods as he takes his fishing pole out and walks to the edge of the water, watching Mary Beth walk with him before he hands the pole to her. Taking a couple minutes to teach her, Max steps back and watches her cast. With the waiting game beginning, Max steps behind Mary Beth and wraps his arms around her waist while lowering his head and kissing her neck, "It's nice to just be alone with you Juliet. No one bugging or interrupting us. A small giggle comes from Mary Beth, "Max, I'm trying to concentrate!" Max chuckles slightly, "Sorry love, I can't help it." They both watch after a few minutes, the line gets pulled as he instructs her on how to properly pull a fish in. After fighting with the fish and pulling it in, Max smiles as he sets the fish away before taking over the fishing pole while Mary Beth sits down under the tree a couple feet away and starts reading her book. With a few successful catches, Max moves over to Castiel and sets his fishing pole away. Moving towards Mary Beth, Max sits down beside her as he wraps an arm around her and pulls her close as he looks at her. "You look absolutely stunning just sitting here reading."

********

She stops reading for a moment and turns her head as she kisses him. Max returns the kiss with a smile as Mary Beth sets her book down and moves to straddle him. He smiles as she sits on his lap facing him with her fingers gently gripping his beard before running them through it, "I'm still so happy that you survived the attack Max. I don't know what I would have done if you didn't." Max smiles as he feels this, "Let's not think about that love rather let's just enjoy this moment." Mary Beth smiles as she pulls him close as they start to make out as Max can feel the butterflies in his chest. Breaking from the kiss, Mary Beth smiles as she shifts slightly before noticing that her love is slightly hard beneath her. "Perhaps we should rent a room in Valentine?" She smirks a bit as Max steals another quick kiss, "Is this what you want right now Mary Beth?" With a nod, she stands up and helps Max up, "I'm positive Max. I want to be closer to you and I'm ready." A loving smile appears on his face as he mounts up on Castiel and helps Mary Beth up before quickly riding towards the town. Both lovers quiet during the ride as they are excited for what the night will have for them.

********

Reaching Valentine and hitching Castiel just outside the hotel, Max helps Mary Beth down and kisses her before leading her inside as he rents a room from the hotel owner. Heading up the stairs, Max opens the door and holds it open for Mary Beth as she walks into the room. Moving into the room behind her, Max closes the door as he takes his gator hat off and sets it on the chair in the room before starting to take his vest off while Mary Beth starts to take off her dress. Eventually shedding his vest, shirt and boots off, Max looks to Mary Beth as she completely strips standing bare before him. He stares for a moment at her body with a smile as she steps to him and kneels as she starts to unzip and unbutton his pants. Looking down to her, he watches as she pulls his pants down with his underwear before noticing her eyes widen a bit, "You look surprised Juliet. Not expecting that were you?" Mary Beth looks up at him and shakes her head, "You're so big! How are you even going to fit inside me!?" Max chuckles a bit as he rests a hand in her hair, "I'll have to prep you Juliet." With a nod, she looks back to his cock as she gently grasps it before using her tongue to lick a strip down his length before taking his tip and gently sucking earning a gasp from Max. Keeping his hand in her hair, he closes his eyes as she takes more of him into her mouth as he lets out a low moan while she sucks him off. "You've got a magic mouth Juliet and I love it." Taking that as her cue, Mary Beth speeds up as Max moans softly as she reaches up with her free hand and gently squeezes his balls.

********

With his cock twitching slightly within her mouth and her speeding up, Max gives a pleasured groan as he starts to cum down Mary Beth's throat causing her to gag slightly before trying to swallow as much as she can. Pulling out of her mouth, she smiles up at him as Max looks down at her with a smirk, "Get on the bed love and let me give you some attention." With an eager nod, Mary Beth gets up as she moves to the bed and lays back with her legs spread for him. Smiling, Max moves to the bed as he climbs up and lowers his head to her stomach and kisses it before moving his hand down between her legs as he starts to rub her clit earning a moan from her. Lifting his head from her stomach, he moves closer to her face as he kisses her while slipping his index finger into her causing her to moan in surprise into the kiss. Pumping his finger, Max curls it a couple times before slipping his middle finger in as he starts to pump both fingers while Mary Beth tries to spread her legs more. Breaking the kiss, Max smiles down at Mary Beth, "Just about done prepping you darling." Mary Beth nods as a third finger slips in as all three fingers separate a few times before pulling out earning a whimper from Mary Beth.

********

Moving his body, he positions his cock before slowly pushing into her as both of then moan softly as Mary Beth wraps her legs around his waist while he continues pushing further in. Stopping halfway, Max let's Mary Beth adjust to him for a moment as Max takes the opportunity to make out with her. Breaking the kiss, Mary Beth looks into his eyes with a smile, "You can move now Max." With a nod, Max pushes the rest of his length into her before slowly thrusting. Mary Beth pulls Max back into a kiss as they start making out passionately while Max continues thrusting. Eventually, Max gives one last deep thrust as he starts to spill his seed into her as her walls clench around him while trying to milk him. Getting back into it quickly, time passes as eventually Mary Beth is resting her head against Maxwell's chest with her fingers tracing his scars while his arm is around her. "That was amazing. We should do this more often Max." Max chuckles softly, "Yeah, we should. For now though, let's get some rest." Mary Beth nods as she gets comfortable as she closes her eyes and falls asleep. Staying awake for a moment longer, Max thinks of a plan for Mary Beth before closing his eyes and falling asleep for the evening.

********


	14. Shootout at Valentine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max joins Dutch and Strauss at the small saloon in valentine before Arthur and John join them. Things start to pick up quickly after Strauss and John leave as Cornwall shows up to give Dutch a hard time.

**Shootout at Valentine**

**_The next afternoon_ **

Max had been grooming the horses that day and was currently grooming The Count while also being careful not to agitate the horse. Looking up at The Count for a moment, Max watches as he shifts slightly before tossing his head at Max. Releasing his breath, Max goes back to tending to him before hearing his name being called. Looking up, he sees Dutch walking over to him with Strauss next to him. Standing up, Max dusts his pants off as Dutch speaks, "Heading over to Valentine to wait on Arthur and John. Care to join us?" Thinking for a moment, Max nods for a moment. "Yeah, let me just go change my shirt real quick." Dutch nods as he mounts up on The Count while Strauss gets on one of the unnamed horses before Max returns with a red shirt as he mounts up on Castiel. Riding out of camp with the two men, Max looks over to Dutch, "So, what are Arthur and John doing anyways?" Dutch shrugs a bit as they ride, "Some job I think. They should be back in Valentine shortly." Nodding, they continue their ride in silence as they eventually reach the town and make their way to the small saloon. Hitching the horses up, the three of them head into the saloon and sit down to drink.

A couple hours go by as Max is groaning slightly with his head in his hands as Strauss is spouting off what he assumes is business related, "Not everything... but in the end, I don't believe in absolutes, just shades of gray. Compromises. Gentlemen." At the sound of a pair of boots walking up, Max looks and sits up as he sees both Arthur and John walking in. "Dutch, Leopold, Max." Max nods to them as Dutch questions Arthur for a moment before having John and Strauss go make sure everything is good. As Max gets up to leave with them, Dutch catches his attention, "Max, sit back down and stay with Arthur and myself. You look like you could use another drink after putting up with Strauss." Max gives a slight chuckle and nods as he pours himself a shot and downs it. "Nothing like talking to old Strauss to make you want to blow your own brains out. I should have left him where I found him all those years ago." Max shakes his head as he listens to the two men before Dutch toasts to the two men, "To your good health Arthur and to you beating all odds and still being here Max." The three of them nod before downing the shots as a voice from outside calls out to them, "Van der Linde! Get out here. Get out here now! You don't know me but you keep robbing me." Max watches as Arthur gets up and stands against the wall while looking out the window, "What's going on Dutch?" Before Dutch could speak up, the man outside continues speaking, "My name is Leviticus Cornwall. I am not a man to be messed with by the likes of you. Get out here, before I have these men killed! Get out here you depraved piece of trash!" "What do you think?" Max looks outside to see a well dressed man yelling in as Arthur speaks up, "You start spinning a yarn and when the moment is right I'll make a move. Max, you leave out the back door and quietly move around the building to get the jump on them when all hell breaks loose." Nodding, Max moves to the back door as he waits for Arthur and Dutch to get up while Cornwall continues shouting.

Seeing Arthur and Dutch start to walk out with their hands raised, Max takes the opportunity to sneak out the door and around the side before stopping as Cornwall rides past away from the saloon. After a moment, Max slinks to the edge of the building and pokes his head out slightly to see the tense situation of John and Strauss being held hostage while Dutch does his best at trying to talk the people down. Taking his revolver out, Max aims at one the men as he waits for Arthur to make his move. In the corner of his eye, Max watches Arthur pull his gun quickly and shoot the man holding John at knife point as Max moves around out of cover and starts laying down cover fire. Noticing people from the main street starting to show up with their weapons, Max switches to his rifle as he starts to pick them off while Arthur, Dutch, John and Strauss move up. As Max takes another shot, he watches as Strauss gets shot in the thigh as Dutch yells out, "Arthur cover us!" Max makes his way to a large box and ducks behind it before taking another shot and looking towards the others, "I got you guys covered! Arthur, help John get Strauss into the wagon!" Arthur nods as he quickly moves over to John and helps get Strauss into the back of the wagon as Dutch has John get on one side to push it. Arthur looks over to Max and whistles to get his attention to get closer to which Max takes out a couple people as he gets to Arthur, "I'll watch our backs and get the people who show up behind us. Max, you get the people in front of us." Nodding, Max thinks for a moment before climbing into the wagon and situating himself behind the boxes as Strauss lays behind him. Standing up, Max takes a few shots as the wagon moves forward as men fire back at the group while appearing out of cover on the street.

Kneeling down for a moment to reload, Max stands back up as he feels a pain hit his side that he ignores for the moment before shooting back. With no one left to shoot behind them, Arthur moves forward and helps Max take out the people shooting at them. As they get close to the hotel, Max doesn't notice one of the men on top of the stables as he gets a shot to the shoulder that causes him to slump down for a minute and wince slightly as he holds his shoulder in pain. "Max! You alright?!" "Yeah, just give me a second. Aim for the man on top of the stable!" Arthur looks and notices the man as he raises his rifle and pulls the trigger. "Arthur! Pick up Strauss and take him over to the horses!" Max watches as Arthur picks Strauss up as he slides out of the wagon holding his shoulder before pulling his revolver and gives Arthur covering fire while walking backwards. Reaching the horses Arthur turns to Max after setting Strauss on the back of Dutch's horse and freezes seeing him hold his shoulder but also notices a dark red spot on Max's side. Moving to him, Arthur helps Max over to his horse as Max groans in pain. Setting his hand on his side, he feels his shirt wet and pulls his hand back up and notices blood. Arthur notices as well before quickly helping Max onto Castiel and gets on Athena as they ride quickly out of town behind John and Dutch. "Stay awake Max, we'll get you patched up when we get to camp." Max nods as they continue riding before eventually reaching camp. Helping Max down, Arthur calls out to the others as they move him to the med tent where Strauss had been stitched up as Grimshaw, Sadie and Charles help remove Max's shirt to see a bullet wound to his shoulder and side. Charles carefully looks at both of the wounds before speaking up, "Good news for you, both shots went through clean and shouldn't be too hard to stitch you up." Max nods as Charles starts to stitch him up before Mary Beth runs over with a worried expression. "I'm alright hun. Nothing too serious." With a nod, she kisses his forehead and sticks beside him as Charles cleans the wounds and stitches him up. After a few minutes of being stitched up, Max moves over to his tent with Mary Beth beside him as they settle down for the rest of the day.


	15. Helping a Family in Need

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few days after the shootout in Valentine, Arthur brings Max along with him and Charles to go check out a new spot for camp and end up helping a family out.

**Helping a Family in Need**

_**Four days later** _

Sitting up in the morning hours, Max slowly rotates his shoulder as Mary Beth walks in holding a cup of coffee for him while smiling. Returning the smile, Max gently takes the cup from her and takes a sip as he uses his free hand to pull her close, "Thank you love. We should get ready and start on chores." Nodding, Mary Beth kisses his cheek before ducking out of the tent as he hears talking, "Oh, Arthur! My apologies, I didn't mean to bump into you." "It's alright Mary Beth, I wasn't really paying attention. Is Max inside?" "Yeah, he is. If you'll excuse me, I should probably get started on the chores." Taking another sip of coffee, Max watches as Arthur walks in and nods to him, "How's the shoulder and side doing?" Setting the empty cup on a small box, Max scratches his cheek before slipping his shirt on. "Better after some rest. Still hurts slightly but not as much as two days ago. What can I do for you Arthur?" "Dutch is having Charles and I head out towards Dewberry Creek to check out a new camp location and I was wondering if you'd like to join us. Have an extra set of eyes?" Max thinks for a moment before nodding and dawning his gator hat, "Yeah, I'll join you two." With a nod, Arthur exits the tent as Max picks up his guns and walks out as he limps his way over towards Castiel. Looking to Charles, he nods to him as Charles nods back as all three men mount up and ride out towards Dewberry Creek.

Eventually reaching the creek, Charles looks at it for a moment before speaking up, "This seems a bit open for a camp spot." Arthur nods as he responds, "Yeah, ain't sure it'd be the best in the rain, neither. Let's take a look around for anything." Nodding, Max moves slightly away from Arthur and Charles as he moves up the dry river bed before stopping when he sees a body on the ground. "Arthur! Charles! Over here, there's a body on the ground." Moving Castiel around the body, Max watches as Arthur dismounts and walks over to inspect the body, " He's been shot. Looks like trouble got here before us." With Charles joining Arthur, Max looks towards the edge of the river and notices a couple tents as he dismounts, "Guys, looks like there's a camp ahead." Arthur moves his attention to where Max is looking and nods as he starts walking towards it, "Sure. Let's get ready for business." Looking at the camp, Max raises an eyebrow as he looks at the other two men with him. "Place looks empty." Charles comes up beside him and notices just how empty it is, "Let's take a look around to make sure." As the three men look through the camp, Max looks towards the wagon and notices slight movement beneath it. Moving to the wagon, the slowly moves the items stacked against it before freezing for a moment. "Max, you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost." As Arthur and Charles join Max, they notice a mother and two kids looking scared hiding under the wagon as the mother is holding a double barrel shotgun. Charles holsters his sawed off and keeps his hands up as he tries to calm the mother before she starts to push the box out and stands up with her kids behind her.

The woman looks at the three men before speaking in German, " _Do you speak German?_ " Max looks at her and nods as he responds to her, " _Are you okay? You all look like you've been through hell._ " Before the mother can say anything, her daughter pokes her head out from around her mother and speaks up, " _They took our father!_ " " _Who?_ " " _Men. Last night._ " Max thinks for a moment as he notices Charles staring at him in amazement before turning his attention back to the young girl, " _Where did they take him?_ " The girl points in the direction of where she remembers seeing her father being taken as Arthur speaks up, "Ain't no business of ours Max." Charles looks at Arthur and points a finger at him, "You ain't as tough and dense as all that. C'mon." Whistling for their horses, they mount up and follow the way the girl points out before starting to follow tracks. Halfway through riding, Charles speaks up and looks at Max for a moment before keeping his eyes on the tracks, "Since when do you know German, Max?" "Always knew it. Mom taught me German growing up and haven't really told anyone since I didn't think that it's important." "So you understand what Strauss is saying whenever he speaks in that language?" "Yep. Understand every word of it and trust me, the things he says would make any of our mothers blush." Charles and Arthur chuckle as they all continue following the tracks until reaching a small and seemingly abandoned camp. "Where is everyone?" "Don't know... But you know what? This is a better camp spot than the one back there. Much easier to defend." As Max looks around the camp, he finds the man hogtied and struggling as he moves as fast as he can over to him. As Max kneels to cut him free, the man speaks up in German as it comes out slightly muffled, " _Careful! It's a trap!_ " Max immediately warns Charles and Arthur as the three of them take cover.

Taking his rifle out, Max pokes his head up and takes a couple shots as a few guys fall down to the ground dead. A moment goes by as all of the men are taken care of as the man tied up looks over to Max and motions over, " _Cut the ropes, please?_ " Max nods as he gets up and finally cuts him free as he helps him to his feet. " _Thank you, my friend, thank you!_ " Arthur looks at Max and Charles as he thinks for a moment, "Charles, you go get Dutch and bring the caravan here. Max, return the man to his family and return to help me clear this stuff out." Max nods as he whistles for Castiel who trots over quickly as he mounts up and helps the man up behind him. Riding away from the soon to be new camp, the man speaks up as they leave the treeline, " _Where are you taking me?_ " " _Back to your family. Why did those men back there take you?_ " " _Money. My family has a gold mining business and they wanted to send a ransom._ " The ride back to the creek was quiet and without incident as Max reunites the man with his family and watches as they converse with each other before the mother looks to Max, " _You are a great man.. We are blessed to have met you._ " " _It was nothing, but you should leave now. It's not safe around here._ " The family nods as they start climbing up on the wagon as the father seems to grab something from under the wagon before turning and handing Max three solid gold bars and thanking him for his help before hopping up and riding off with his family. Looking at the gold bars, he sets them away and mounts up as he rides back. _Damn, I'll have to sell two for cash and put the money in the donation box. Keep one for me for emergency cash money in the future between Mary Beth and I._ Reaching Arthur, Max dismounts as he starts helping Arthur clean the area up before eventually resting and watching as the rest of the gang finally shows up.


	16. Riding with the Old Guard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few days after settling into the new camp site, Max gets invited to ride with Dutch, Arthur and Hosea to go fishing before mischief and a chase ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in chapters everyone, work has been starting to pick up more and I've been busy. I will try my best to keep posting chapters consistently for you guys. Stay safe everyone!

**Riding with the Old Guard**

_**A few days later** _

An early morning breeze entered the tent along with slight sunlight before a warm hand is felt on his bare chest. Slowly opening his eyes, Max looks to his side to see Mary Beth sleeping with her head and a hand on his chest. He smiles as he sets his hand on her bare back and gently rubs it before watching her wake up with a smile. "Good morning Juliet. Hope you slept well?" She nods as she slowly sits up while keeping the blanket around her while Max sits up on forearms with a smirk. "You know, I'm very impressed that you were able to be so quiet last night. We might have to do this more if you're able to keep this quiet." A small blush presents itself on her face as she giggles, "I'm just as impressed with myself too. I never thought I'd be able to be so quiet but I proved myself wrong. What do you have planned for today?" Fully sitting up and running a couple fingers through his beard, Max leans over to her and kisses her before shrugging slightly. "Not too sure yet but I think that we should get dressed before someone decides to walk in on us." Mary Beth nods as she drops the blanket to get dressed as Max slowly stands up before starting to dress beside her and kisses her cheek. Mary Beth returns the kiss before fixing her hair and walking out of the tent towards the campfire. As Max slips his boots on and picks his gator hat up, he hears Dutch talking near his tent to Arthur, "Old Hosea says that there's a creek around here. I reckon it's full of fish." Stepping out of the tent, he sees Arthur and Dutch walking by as they nod to him, "Enjoy your fishing gentlemen. Be sure to catch a big one for me." Max smirks with a small chuckle as the two men chuckle back before Dutch speaks up, "You know what. Maxwell, why don't you come join us on the trip? You should get out of camp with us for a bit. It'll do you some good." "Sure, I'd love to join you guys and listen to some of the old stories you've got." With a smile, Dutch and Arthur lead Max towards the horses where Hosea is standing at Silver Dollar and brushing him. "Hey, old girl, come on down here, why don't you show us this creek you been pissing in.. Hey, you don't look too rosy, old friend. I thought this warmer weather would..." "My days of looking good are long over, Dutch." Dutch snickers slightly as they all mount up on their horses while Castiel playfully nips at Athena who nips back in response.

"Always dream crushing and bubble bursting, you. Come on, Hosea, let's go fishing." Hosea nods as he turns Silver Dollar around and starts riding out of camp with the others behind him. "If you don't mind me asking Dutch, how come we don't just fish here at camp? There's a lake full of them beside us." "Because Maxwell, I need to get out for a bit. Me and the old guard." Max raises an eyebrow for a moment at the mention of old guard as Dutch notices the slight confusion on his face, "You see Max. Before any of the members at camp back there, there was myself, Hosea, and Arthur." "The curious couple and their unruly son." Hosea added in as they rode through the trees. "So it was just you three at first? That's pretty interesting and nice to know that I'm riding with the original three." Hosea turns his head slightly to look at Max behind him and offers a kind smile, "It's nice to have you riding with us Max. I wish you were older so that you would have been with us originally back then, you would've fit in perfectly with the three of us." "Thanks Hosea, that means a lot." Max returns the smile as the four of them finally get onto the main road as Max zones out of the conversation for a bit before snapping out of it to hear Dutch talking about Rhodes, "Keep a low profile, especially in the local town. After Valentine, I want everyone on their best behavior here, no trouble. But start turning over the soil and the rocks, see what turns up." Riding over the tracks and seeing a train coming in, the four men ride over the bridge as Dutch speaks up, "Looks like law up ahead. Play it cool." Reaching the prison wagon, the men hear a familiar voice as they all see Josiah Trelawny in the back of the wagon. "I seem to have gotten myself in a spot of bother." The man sitting next to the driver turns and bangs the cage slightly, "Quiet back there." "Let's see if we can't sort this out." At the mention of this, both Arthur and Max look at each other with the same thought as they know Dutch is going to try to win over the driver and his associate. They both watch as Dutch moves up beside the two men as he starts talking and introduces himself, "Hoagy Macintosh, at your service." Max looks to Arthur for a moment with a raised eyebrow and mouths, _"Hoagy Macintosh? Really?"_ Arthur merely shrugs as they watch the men in the back of the wagon start picking the lock to the doors before pushing them open with Trelawny speaking up, "I wouldn't do that if I were you, I.." "Shit! The Anderson boys! I can't have more scandal." "Well, allow us to help you, my friend. Arthur, Rex." "Chase wanted men?" "And take Archibald with you two."

With Arthur having pulled Archibald up onto the back of Athena, the two of them ride towards the train as the man speaks up, "Keep your guns holstered! We need them Anderson boys alive." As they ride and get closer to the train, Archibald speaks up again, "What are your guys' names?" "Arthur. Arthur Callahan." "Rex Mattock." "Faster guys! My neck is on the line." Getting closer to the train, they watch as one of the men hanging on the back of the train seems to be slipping a bit. "Looks like the son of a bitch is gonna make it. You sure I can't just shoot him?" "No, they need to be alive." As the man finally climbs up, he turns and yells out, "So long, deputies!" The man taunts the three before getting thwacked in the back of the head by a water tower pipe as he falls off the train and onto the tracks. "I'll get him and then catch up Arthur!" Arthur looks back at Max and nods as he rides on ahead while Max dismounts and hogties the man before placing him on the back of Castiel as he remounts and rides to catch up with Arthur and the deputy. Reaching the side of the train near the station, Max watches as Arthur throws one of the men off the train as he stops to look at the deputy, "Need help or want me to ride ahead and catch another?" The deputy looks to Max for a moment before taking the man off the back of his horse and points ahead. Nodding, Max spurs Castiel on as he rides quickly to catch up before watching the train slow to a stop as Max climbs aboard and carefully climbs to the roof. Moving to the knocked out man, he watches as Archibald finally catches up and waits below as Max slowly lowers him to the deputy before feeling that all too familiar shooting pain that causes him to slowly massage his calf while Archibald moves towards the train car Arthur is in. After a couple minutes, Max carefully climbs down and mounts up as he rides with Arthur and Archibald to Rhodes.

Reaching the town, Max rides up beside Arthur as he takes the man off his horse before nodding to Hosea who nods in return. Staying on his horse, Max watches quietly as Dutch and Sheriff Gray talk before Josiah, Arthur, Hosea and Dutch start walking away from the sheriff's office as Max slowly rides beside them listening in. Stopping beside the general store, Max watches as the men walk up the path towards the small caravan while he takes a swig of whiskey from his pack. A couple minutes go by before he sees the old guard walking back down, "Quite a fishing trip." "There's still time. I'm up for it." "How about you Arthur? Or have you had enough of the chase for one day?" Arthur thinks for a moment before looking to Max beside them as he then looks back at Hosea and Dutch, "You know what, why don't you two take Max fishing and spend some time with the new blood? I'm sure you two will tell him some embarrassing stories about me growing up." Arthur smirks a bit as Dutch and Hosea chuckle before Hosea speaks up, "That's not a bad idea Arthur. We'll see you at camp then." With a nod from Arthur, he mounts up and rides back to camp as Max follows Dutch and Hosea to the fishing location as they start fishing and telling stories of the old guard and of Arthur. Hours go by as they eventually have caught enough fish for camp as Max takes the rowing position and rows the boat back to camp while Dutch and Hosea start singing songs. Eventually they reach the dock as Max takes the fish with Hosea over to Pearson's table before Hosea looks to Max and sets his hand on his shoulder, "Max, I enjoyed our time together fishing. We have to spend more time together soon." "I'd like that Hosea." Hosea nods before pulling Max close and whispers into his ear, "When do you plan on proposing to Mary Beth?" Max looks at Hosea for a moment before shrugging and whispering back, "Soon. I'm waiting on they perfect moment and still need to get a ring. I will probably head to Saint Denis to buy one." Hosea nods with a smile as he moves to his bedroll as Max moves to his tent and picks a book up to read.


	17. Moonshine and Surprising News

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While relaxing with Mary Beth, Max gets approached by Arthur to see about joining him to meet up with Dutch about a job. Later on after returning from the job, Mary Beth gives Max some surprising news.

**Moonshine and Surprising News**

**_The next day_ ******

A nice morning breeze was in the air as Max and Mary Beth were sitting next to each other under a tree just on the outskirts of camp while reading a book together. "Hey Max?" Pausing his reading, he looks at Mary Beth beside him, "Yes Juliet?" He watches as she sits up slightly and looks at him with an inquisitive look. "Have you ever thought about getting out of this life and starting fresh?" The question surprised him a bit which caused him to think for a moment before looking to Mary Beth. "I have thought about it a couple times but I just don't have a good reason to leave everyone. I mean, everything right now just seems peaceful but if things seem to start getting too crazy, then I will leave with you. Fair?" He watches as she smiles gently and nods as she places a hand on his cheek and kisses him deeply. Max returns the kiss as he doesn't hear the footfalls walking his way until they both break from the kiss after someone clears their throat. Turning his attention to the person in front of them, Max sees Arthur with a smirk. "Hello Arthur. What can I do for you?" Arthur chuckles slightly as he scratches his cheek, "Sorry to interrupt you two love birds but I was wondering Max if you'd like to join me and meet up with Dutch over in Rhodes for a job. That is, if you're up for it unless you want to keep making out with Mary Beth." Max chuckles slightly as he nods while offering his hand to Arthur who helps him up, "I'll join you Arthur. Mary Beth, I will be back later and we can spend more time together." Offering her a wink, Mary Beth giggles and nods as she gets up and walks back into camp towards the other gals as they start talking. Moving to their respective horses, Max mounts up and rides out with Arthur towards Rhodes.

********

Eventually reaching Rhodes, the two men ride up to the sheriff's office as Arthur dismounts and looks at Max, "Stay out here and wait for us to be finished with the sheriff. Don't want too many people inside." Max nods as he watches Arthur walk in before turning his attention to Castiel and dismounts before starting to brush him a bit. A few minutes go by before Arthur, Dutch, and Bill walk out who all nod to him. "Arthur, you ride with the deputy. Bill, Rex, and I will follow." Arthur nods as he joins Archibald as Dutch looks to Max. "Nice of you to join us Max. How are you doing today?" Mounting back up on Castiel, Max looks to Bill and nods to him before looking to Dutch, "I'm doing alright. Had a nice morning with Juliet reading just outside of camp." Dutch smiles as they start following Archibald and Arthur, "That's great son. You two are a lovely couple. Most of us are wondering when you'll propose to her." Max shrugs slightly, "I haven't found the right time just yet nor have I gotten her a ring. Might have to head to Saint Denis for the jeweler there." "Understandable. You want to make sure that it's a perfect proposal. Can't wait to see it happen." Max offers a smile as Archibald stops the wagon near a destroyed carriage with a couple bodies nearby. Max watches as they investigate and listens into the conversation. "Hey come have a look at this." Max watches as Arthur moves over to Archibald as he explains, "Look... suit and tie, one bullet clean through the forehead. My money says that this is the work of a gang called the Lemoyne Raiders. I'll have to send someone later to clean this mess up." Returning to the wagon, the men ride further on before reaching their destination as they all sneak over to a couple bushes, "Each person we catch has to be taken in alive." As Archibald talks, Max surveys their target and notices a few patrols around the area before his attention comes back to Dutch speaking, "Let's split up. Arthur and Rex, me and Archibald. Bill, keep an eye out for anyone coming in."

********

With a nod, Arthur and Max start quietly making their way over two a couple men as Max quickly grabs on and covers his mouth and nose while Arthur quietly moves to the other man and does the same while both thrash slightly before going unconscious. With the two men knocked out, they hogtie and carry them over to the wagon to see Dutch, Bill and Archibald waiting for them. After a little bit of talk, Arthur heads over to the distillery and blows it up as the sound of horse hooves approaching as people start firing. Everyone scrambles to cover as they start shooting back as Max takes a piece of dynamite and lights it before throwing it at the people shooting them. Ducking down, Max closes his ears as the explosion goes off and the shooting stops as Max looks to Arthur with a smirk before a bloody arm lands between them. Arthur laughs as they stand from their cover and walk back to the wagon to see Archibald loading the men up and Dutch waiting for them at the back of the wagon while Bill sits in the driver's seat. "Finally. We have alighted on a land so stupid, a backwater so backwards that even we are like geniuses." The three of them laugh a bit before Dutch tells Bill to get the wagon to camp. Turning to Arthur and Max, Dutch looks at them with a smile, "Come, both of you ride with me." With the three of them mounting up on their horses, they ride off the path as Dutch and Arthur start talking about the current situation within the town of Rhodes between the two families as Max listens quietly. Rounding a corner, Dutch speaks up to both men. "You know what? Why don't I race both you back to camp?" Arthur and Max look at each other and smile at each other before both responding to Dutch at the same time, "You're on." As Dutch gives the sound off, the three of them take off as Max leans down and whispers to Castiel in German, _"Let's get home quickly and beat them. I owe you many sweet apples when we get there."_ With a soft snort, Castiel picks up speed as he passes Arthur and Dutch causing the two men to shout and try to keep up. Eventually reaching camp, Max has Castiel skid slightly to a halt and laughs as he watches Arthur and Dutch finally catch up. "Took you guys long enough!" Arthur laughs a bit before Dutch speaks up, "Whatever you told your horse Max, it certainly gave you an advantage. What did you even tell him?" "I told him that if he's able to get me here first that I would owe him many sweet apples." The men laugh as they dismount off their horses before Dutch turns to both men, "I had fun with both of you today. You're... I was going to say that you were like sons to me but you're both more than that." With a nod from each man, Dutch walks back into camp as Mary Beth walks up to Max with a nervous look. Arthur notices this and excuses himself since he figures this is a private matter between the two lovers. "Max can I talk to you about something?" "Of course Juliet. Is everything okay?" He watches as she bites her lip gently as she looks away as if she's thinking before looking back to Max. "While you and the others were out, Hosea and Karen took me to the doctor in Valentine because I wanted to check my health." Max's face lightens slightly as he starts to look worried, "You're not sick are you." "No! No! I'm not sick but I do have some news." "And what news do you have Juliet?" He watches as she gives a sheepish smile, "You're going to be a father Max. I'm pregnant."

********


	18. A Beautiful Proposal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After hearing that Mary Beth is pregnant with his child, Max asks Arthur to join him to ride to Saint Denis to find the perfect ring for Mary Beth.

**A Beautiful Proposal**

"You're going to be a father Max. I'm pregnant." The words sunk into his head as he stood speechless, his eyes widen slightly as he looks at Mary Beth. _I'm going to be a father? A child with Mary Beth would be my fresh start. What if I'm not ready? What if I'm a terrible father...?"_ Max was pulled out of his thoughts as Mary Beth calls out to him with a worried look. "Max? Are you okay?" Max shakes his head slightly to clear his head a little bit, "I'm..." "You're not mad about this are you?" Tears form as he gives a slight smile as he pulls Mary Beth into a hug. "I'm not mad Mary Beth. I'm happy. Happy that I'm going to be a father and that I've been given the chance to be one. To see and raise a child of my own with you. This is amazing news Juliet. I'm so glad that we can start a family. How far along are you?" Mary Beth looks up at him with a smile as she wipes the tears away from Max's eyes. "The doctor estimates close to maybe a month and half." "Oh Juliet, now how are we going to celebrate?" A shrug comes from her as he chuckles and hugs her again as he notices Arthur and Dutch walking over to the both of them with curious looks. "Everything alright you two?" Max looks to the two men before looking to Mary Beth who nods to him. "Everything is indeed alright. Better yet, everything is perfect. I'm going to be a father." He watches as a look of surprise appears on their faces before Dutch chuckles a bit, "Congratulations son! I will put together something tonight for the both of you in celebration of a new life being formed!" Arthur extends his hand to Max as he takes it before Arthur pulls him into a hug and whispers to him, "I will help you with everything I've got to see you raise a family safely. We will plan for this later but tomorrow I will take you to Saint Denis to get a ring for her, deal?" Maxwell nods, "Arthur. Can I ask you something?" Arthur nods as Max gives a small smile, "Would you do the honor of being our child's godfather?" Arthur looks surprised for a moment before smiling, "Of course. I'd be honored Maxwell." Both men smile as Arthur leads the couple into camp as people start talking excitedly.

Out of the corner of his eye, Max notices Micah walking to the outside of camp and sitting under a far tree with a disgusted look in his eye. Ignoring it, Max turns to see Hosea with a grin on his face as he hugs Max. "Looks like you'll be a grandfather old man." Hosea chuckles as he hugs Max before patting his shoulder. "I can't wait to be in their life Maxwell. You'll be a great father." Evening arrives as everyone around the camp moves to the campfire as drinks are passed around and talk between the new parents and everyone else. Eventually the party draws to a close as Max and Mary Beth move to their tent as a hand gets laid on his shoulder and pulls him back slightly. Turning around, Max sees Micah with a wild look in his eye as he gets punched in the face earning a groan from him that causes the more sober members to turn to look and Mary Beth to be startled slightly. Moving his hand to his lip, Max wipes some blood off as he stands up straight while looking angry at Micah before Micah points a finger at him. "Just because you're going to be a father Maxwell, doesn't mean you'll be safe from me or the others. You're still going to get hurt or killed and now you put this gang in danger of creating a kid with that whore of yours and we won't be safe once that kid is born." Without hesitation, Maxwell forms a fist and punches Micah hard in the jaw as he stumbles back. "Don't you dare say another word of my child again you bastard! All you do is bitch and complain about the amount of people here claiming that we have too many mouths to feed. Newsflash motherfucker, I'm the one who has been hunting and keeping this gang fed as well as help with jobs while you do nothing but just sit here with that stick up your ass. You want to kill my kid? You have to get through me first." An intensity burned in his eyes as he stared at Micah as the others stand beside Max. Raising his hands up, Micah slowly backs away before disappearing outside of his view while Max sighs and retreats into his tent for the evening.

The next morning rolls around as Max is cleaning Castiel's hooves as he hears a set of footsteps approach him. Finishing up with the hoof, Max stands up and sees Arthur approaching him as he wipes his hands. "Morning Arthur. What can I do for you?" "Well, after last night's incident I figured that I'd take you to Saint Denis to get that ring for Mary Beth. You ready?" Max smirks slightly before moving to the other side of Castiel as he kneels down and starts cleaning the remaining hoof. "Once I'm finished with Castiel's hoof, we can head out." "Sounds like a plan Max." A few minutes go by before Max and Arthur mount up as they ride out of camp towards Saint Denis. During their ride, Arthur looks to Max and notices the look in his eye, "You alright after last night Max between you and Micah?" Looking to his side at Arthur, Max shrugs slightly. "I'll put a fucking bullet into him if he tries anything against my family and I don't care if I get thrown out of the gang for doing it." Arthur senses a bit of tension in the air as they eventually reach the streets of Saint Denis as they make their way towards the jeweler. Reaching the jeweler and walking inside, Max takes his time looking at the rings available while Arthur converses with the shop owner before Max eventually choosing the one he'll buy. After making the exchange, both Arthur and Max leave the store as he stands looking at the ring before hearing Arthur speak up, "Hey, you aren't getting cold feet now are you?" "No, no. It's just... I can't believe I'm going to have a flesh and blood family. I'm nervous about this but then again, I'm not the only one when they propose." "You'll be fine Max. I'll be there beside you as will the others." Max looks to Arthur and smiles, "Thank you Arthur. I appreciate it, truly." "You're welcome Max. Now let's get back to camp." Nodding, Max mounts up and starts riding out of town with Arthur riding beside him.

As camp comes into view, Max stops Castiel and looks to Arthur, "Arthur. You ride ahead. Get Mary Beth's attention for me." Nodding Arthur gently spurs Athena as he rides into camp and watches as Arthur gets a few of the members attention as well as Mary Beth's. Taking a deep breath, Max spurs Castiel gently as he rides into camp, his eyes meet Mary Beth's as he dismounts and limps his way towards her meeting her halfway in the middle of camp. "Max is everything alright?" Nodding, he gets onto one knee as he pulls out the ring and presents it to her. "Mary Beth, when I first joined this gang of misfits and saw you, there was a spark inside me. Something that caused me to fall hard for you. We both fell for each other without even knowing it fully. We grew closer and gave each other nicknames, you called me Max and I called you Juliet. Then the accident happened and while I was fighting for my life against that bear and fighting to stay alive, I made a silent prayer. I was utterly scared and was worried that I wouldn't see you or the others again. I was fearful that I would die that day without telling you how I felt. My prayer was answered miraculously and eventually we were reunited after Arthur found me in Valentine. Our love strengthened through this and now I'm going to be a father. That is something I wasn't expecting but I'm ecstatic to have the opportunity. I promise with all my being that I will protect you and our child no matter what, even if it means taking a bullet for you. So I ask this, Mary Beth Gaskill, will you marry me?" Maxwell watches as tears form and run down her cheeks as he notices everyone else gathers around before looking at Mary Beth again. "I do Max. A million times yes!" Max smiles as he slips the ring onto her finger before standing up and kissing her deeply as she returns the kiss. Around the two of them, their friends and family applaud at the beautiful sight in front of them as Dutch and Hosea give Max the nod of approval.


	19. Tobacco Burning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few days after proposing to Mary Beth and spending time together while Arthur and the others worked some jobs, Arthur approaches Max and asks him to join him on a job.

**Tobacco Burning**

**_Six days later_ **

The late afternoon breeze blew through the couples hair as they sat below the main tree in camp as Max was holding Mary Beth while she sat in his lap. The gang had let the couple spend time together the last few days to get even closer to each other while everyone else worked their jobs and chores. Max's hand was placed on her stomach as he kissed her cheek, "I'm excited for our kid. What gender do you think they'll be?" Mary Beth smiles as she rests her head against him as she places her hand on his, "I wouldn't mind having a boy but if we have a daughter, I'll love them all the same." Max chuckles slightly as he notices Arthur walking to them. "Afternoon Arthur." "Hey you two lovebirds. Mary Beth, mind if I steal your husband for a bit?" Mary Beth giggles slightly and nods, "Of course. Just make sure he doesn't get hurt or you'll have me to deal with." Arthur chuckles and holds his hands up, "I promise Mary Beth. C'mon Max. Let's go meet up with Sean and Hosea." Mary Beth gets up as Arthur carefully helps Max up before walking to the horses and mount up. "So, where are we meeting Hosea and Sean?" "Over at the Braithwaite Manor to discuss a few things with the old hag there. Not pleasant, that woman. There's something about her that I don't trust at all." Max nods as they ride quietly for a bit before coming up on the path leading to the manor. Reaching the main gate, Arthur and Max are stopped by the armed guards as they ask what they are doing at the manor. "Evening boys. We have a meeting with Mrs. Braithwaite. Our associates are already here." The men nod as they let Max and Arthur through. Reaching the home, Max and Arthur dismount and walk to the front door where a servant is waiting for them.

Walking into the manor, the two men are brought to a room as the doors open to reveal Mrs. Braithwaite, her son, Sean, and Hosea drinking tea. "So, your friend, the other liquor vendor and his friend?" Hosea looks to Max and nods to him before looking to the woman, "An extra hand to help out with what's planned is all." The woman looks to Max and stares at him for a moment before nodding to Hosea. "Arthur Morgan, Rex Mattock. Mrs. Catherine Braithwaite." "Nice to see you again ma'am." Max listened to the conversation while keeping quiet before leaving the room and manor with Arthur and Sean while bickering about who's driving causing Max to chuckle. As the two men climb up on the wagon seat, Max sits down on the back of the wagon and holds on as the horses start moving. As they traveled, Max listens to the conversation and the plan of burning the Gray's tobacco fields. Eventually the wagon slows down just outside the gates as Arthur ducks into the back of the wagon as Max ducks inside as well so he wouldn't blow Sean's cover. Looking through the crack in the cover, both Max and Arthur watch as the guard stops Sean for a moment before joining Sean next to him and showing him where to take the wagon while getting friendly. The two men look at each other with a raised eyebrow before watching the wagon being led into a barn. Moving slightly, Max watches as Arthur quietly gets out and sneaks over to the man before killing him and giving Max the signal to join them while pulling up their bandannas.

Slipping out of the wagon, Max moves to the door and helps close the large door before getting prepared with fire bottles before being handed a large bottle of moonshine. "Max, head to the field to the left of the barn and douse everything over there. Sean, head over to the tanning barn and douse it. I'll meet both of you over there when we are done in the fields." Max and Sean nod as they quietly move out of the large barn and start doing their tasks quietly. As Max douses the field, he reaches end of it and watches a guard walk past before turning around and walking the way he came. Taking the opportunity, Max sneaks across and douses that area as well before sneaking his way to the tanning barn where he sees Arthur approaching and Sean quietly taking the guard out inside. "Alright, let's light it up boys." Nodding, Arthur and Max take out the fire bottles as they throw one into the barn and the rest into the field when the guards start shouting while firing at the three men. Pulling their weapons out, the three of them separate a little as they return fire while the flames in the fields become brighter as they spread quickly. Fighting their way through, Max notices a couple wagons with horses freaking out nearby. "Arthur! Sean! Over there!" Nodding, they all make their way through the flames as they eventually reach the horses. Mounting up on the large horse, Max watches as Sean ducks into the wagon looking for the payroll before climbing through the wagon and hops on the horse before cutting it free and riding ahead with Arthur as Max catches up behind them and ride away. Getting far enough away from the property and seeing the flames from where they are, Arthur turns to the two men and nods to them. "Alright, let's split up and head back on our own. Don't want to draw too much attention to ourselves. Max, you head back first and get back to the missus." Max chuckles and nods as he turns the horse around and makes his way back. Dismounting off the large horse and feeding them an apple before walking to Mary Beth and hugging her. "Max, why do you smell like fire and tobacco?" "We torched the tobacco fields over at the Grays. Don't worry, wasn't our idea and I promise nothing is going to happen." Mary Beth smirks and nods, "As long as you're sure Max. Now, I think you're in time for dinner." Max smiles as the two of them grab some food and move to the campfire.


	20. A Trapped Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After hearing about a supposed peace treaty between the two gang leaders, Max joins Dutch, Arthur and Micah to it as he feels like it's a trap.

**A Trapped Deal**

_The next day_

Max had joined Hosea at the table while he read the paper. As he ate the morning stew, his eyes move over towards Dutch's tent where Micah and Arthur were talking before he groaned slightly. Hosea looks at Max with a raised eyebrow, "You alright son?" Max looks at Hosea with an annoyed look before pointing his spoon towards Micah. Hosea follows his gaze as it lands on Micah before looking to Max, "Ah. I see now. No doubt he's up to something but we'll keep an eye on him." Max nods as he watches Dutch walk by talking, "Gentlemen!" "Dutch, you tell him fat man." Max looks at Hosea with a raised eyebrow, "This should be good." Hosea nods as the two of them move their attention to the conversation being held near the tent. At the mention of a parley between Colm and Dutch, Hosea speaks up, "They want a parley? It's a trap." "Well of course it's probably a trap but what have we got to lose finding out." "Get shot." "We ain't getting shot because you'll be protecting us. It's a trap, you shoot the lot of them, if it ain't a trap then that slim chance..." Max watches as Dutch and the other men walk over before Dutch leans against the table looking at him then at Hosea. "I killed Colm's brother long time ago." Max stands up as Hosea does before crossing his arms while listening. "Then he killed.. A woman I loved dear." Max looks at Micah for a moment as the two men's gaze meet each others for a moment before Max looks at Dutch, "I'm going with you guys. I'll snipe from the vantage point while you, Arthur and Micah are face to face with Colm. You know I'm a great shot and know when to determine whether something is off or not. You're going to need me out there watching over you guys Dutch." Dutch pauses for a moment as he thinks before looking at Max seeing the pleading in his eyes. "You're right Max. You always knew when something was off and it turned out to be true. You'll be sniping. You two, by my side at the meeting point." Max looks at Arthur who nods to him before Micah speaks up, "But boss, Max needs to take care of his lady. After all, she's pregnant w-" Micah gets interrupted by Max who socks him in the mouth. "Don't you bring my wife into this. There are people here in camp that can help her as well and I can handle myself especially since I survived a fucking grizzly bear. Now shut up and let's go." Dutch and Arthur look at each other with a smirk before walking to the horses with Max and Micah behind them.

With the four men mounted up and riding out of camp, they follow Micah and talk as Max keeps an eye out around them as they travel. Riding over a small hill, the four men notice people on horse back on the ridge as Micah speaks up, "Hey up there, men on the ridge." "O'Driscoll's from the look of them." Max narrows his eyes for a moment before looking at Dutch and whispering enough for him to hear, "This is most defiantly a trap Dutch. If it wasn't then those men up there wouldn't be there." Dutch looks at Max for a moment before nodding and whispering back, "When the time is right then, take your shot." Max nods as they ride before coming up on two paths that separate from the path they are riding on. Micah turns his horse around and looks at Max, "Alright, we'll be meeting down on the plane. Find a spot just above us to keep an eye on things." Max rolls his eyes and nods as he slowly has Castiel walk by them. "However this shakes out, let's aim to meet at the fork in the road after all this. And Max." Max stops Castiel for a moment and looks at Arthur before catching his rifle. "Take this to watch us and use it if you need to." Nodding, Max heads up the cliff before dismounting off Castiel and limping to the edge before kneeling while watching Dutch, Arthur, and Micah dismount and walk forward a bit. Looking to his side slightly, he watches as three men ride up with the the middle person being Colm. Putting the binoculars down, Max switches to the rifle as he looks and watches through the scope before moving the cross-hairs and keeping them on Colm.

After a few minutes of watching through the scope and getting a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, Max moves his finger and rests it against the trigger but before he can pull it, he hears a few twigs snapping behind him as he turns to see an O'Driscoll coming towards him. Throwing the rifle to the side, he catches the side of the gun and starts to wrestle the man before throwing him to the side. Getting up quickly, Max goes to punch the man before the man tackles Max and punches his face, causing his lip to start bleeding. Max groans slightly before punching the man back and grabbing him by the shoulders before using foot and kicking the man over him as he hears the man screaming before silence. Taking a moment for a breather, Max eventually stands up slowly while wiping his mouth when he sees the men down below with their guns pointed at each other and backing up to their respective horses.

**Arthur's P.O.V.**

He waited on the right side of Dutch, he gave a small glance to Micah beside him before looking ahead of him when he sees Colm and two of his men arrive and hop down. "Hello Dutch. It's been awhile." "Sure" "So uh.. how's your gang doing? They still believing in ya?" Arthur watches Colm get a little closer who then looks at Arthur before narrowing his eyes slightly and hearing a very slight growl. _Shit. I was supposed to be up there and this is a trap._ He notices Colm give a slight wink at him before giving an ever so slight shake of the head at him. His hand turned into a fist as anger flowed through him. Max was right and now he's going to get hurt. He stood there listening to the two gang leaders while trying to figure out a way to warn Dutch without getting shot at before the conversation between the two is cut short by a scream. All the men present turn towards the cliff to see someone falling to their death before they hear a sickening thump. Looking up at the figure slowly standing up on the cliff's edge, Arthur realizes that Max had won the fight up there and smirks before pulling his revolver and aiming it at Colm. "Max was right Dutch. It was a trap. A trap for me if he hadn't gotten involved." He watches as Dutch immediately look at Colm before pulling his own weapon along with Micah. As he looks at Colm, he notices that he seems pissed about something before walking away slowly and eventually riding off. With them out of view, Arthur quickly mounts up and takes off towards Max before stopping quickly to see Max riding up slowly to them causing Arthur to sigh in relief. "Jesus Max. Thank god you're alright. What the hell happened up there?" Before Max can answer, Dutch and Micah ride up quickly to see the busted lip and bruise on the side of his face. "It was a trap, I'm still alive, let's just go home." Dutch chuckles and nods as the four of them ride back to camp.


	21. A Leader's Wrath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After watching watching one of his men fall to his death, an angry Colm sends a few men to teach Max a lesson.

**A Leader's Wrath**

**O'Driscoll P.O.V.**

He stared in horror was he watched his friend falling to his death before looking away hearing the sickening thud. Turning his head to look at his friend, he sees the same mortified look on his face before they both turn to notice Colm shaking in anger slightly as he starts backing up with Arthur, Dutch and Micah pointing their guns towards them while they backup as well. Mounting up on their horses and riding out of view of the Van der Linde's, the ride back to camp was a bit too quiet for the man's liking. Whenever he rode with Colm in the past, Colm would always be chatty about something but now, he was dead silent which means that he's furious. Reaching camp, both men watch Colm dismount and call out to the others, "Boys! I need four volunteers to go with Alex and Richard and get your asses over here now!" Richard watches as four of his buddies walk forward before looking at Alex nervously still mounted up on his horse. "All right boys, here's the plan for you lot. You six, take the damn dog, go back to that fucking cliff, find and follow the scent of Rogers, and fucking beat the ever loving shit out of him to send a message to Dutch! Now, go before I shoot you idiots and send others." Richard sighs as he whistles to see a German Shepard running out of a tent before jumping on the back of his horse. Nodding to the others, Richard starts riding out of camp and leads the way with Alex back to the overlook where the meeting took place.

**Maxwell's P.O.V.**

Max and the others eventually reach camp after a little bit of riding as Arthur, Dutch and Micah dismount off their horses and walk into camp leaving Max at the hitching posts still on Castiel. _Had I not gone with them, Arthur would have been taken and who knows what could have happened to him. I need to take my mind off what just happened._ His eyes scanned the camp a bit before landing on someone who is currently sitting on a wooden box with a fishing pole against him looking a bit bored a lonely. "Hey, Kiearn!" He watches as Kieran jumps slightly and looks around before meeting his gaze and seems slightly worried as if he's done something wrong. "Y-yes Maxwell?" "How would you like to go fishing with me? Get out of camp for a bit and stretch your legs?" A slight smile appears on his face as he gets up and nods excitedly before grabbing his fishing pole and running over to his horse. "Of course! I've been wanting to get out of camp and go fishing but I never had anyone to go with me at all since well... They are either busy or don't want to be near me considering of who I use to run with. You seem like a nice fellow Max. Congrats on the kid by the way, I haven't been able to tell you that. If you don't mind me asking Max, do you have a preferred fishing spot at all?" "Thanks Kieran. As for the fishing spot, I believe I saw a nice spot a bit of the way down that way when I went fishing with Dutch and Hosea the other day." Kieran nods excitedly again as he mounts up and rides out of camp with Max.

As the two ride to the fishing spot, Max notices that Kieran seems to be looking over his shoulder every 5 minutes before he finally speaks up, "Hey, you alright Kieran?" "Just a bit nervous really. I always think that them O'Driscoll's are around the corner to just capture me and take me back to torture me." Max sighs softly as he looks at him, "They aren't going to take you. They are going to have to get past all of us to do that." "You really mean that?" Max nods as Kieran smiles before finally coming to a stop with both men dismounting and grabbing their fishing poles off their horses. Walking to the shoreline, they both cast their lines while chatting. An hour goes by as Max looks to Kieran when he notices movement further down the shoreline. Quickly reeling in his line, Max takes his binoculars out and sees a small group of O'Driscoll's heading their way with a dog just ahead of them. "Ah hell. Kieran, do me a favor and don't argue with me. Get on your horse now and ride back to camp. Alert the others and have them come over here. Go now." Kieran looks over as his eyes grow wide before nodding quickly and ditching his fishing rod into some thick bushes as he mounts up quickly riding away. Putting his binoculars away, Max takes his fishing rod out again and casts the line calmly. A few minutes later, he hears a growl behind him causing him to freeze and look behind him to see a German Shepard growling as six O'Driscoll's walk out of the tree's surrounding Max. "Well, look at what we have here boys. Maxwell Rogers, a brat of Van der Linde." Sighing, Max drops the fishing rod in front of him as he looks at the men surrounding him while pulling his knife out. "Alright boys, shall we dance?"

**Arthur's P.O.V.**

Arthur was setting a bale of hay near a few of the horses when Kieran came riding in like a bat out of hell causing him to look quickly. "Whoa, where's the fire kid?" "Arthur! Max is in trouble. There's some O'Driscolls out there near him! Max told me to come get you and the others." Arthur's eyes widen in shock slightly before snapping out of it and turning to everyone else, "Bill, Charles, John! Get your asses up, weapons ready and let's ride! Kieran, where were you two?" Kieran takes a few deep breaths before pointing in the direction of the fishing spot, "5 minutes out that way. Please hurry." Arthur nods as he grabs his gear and hops onto his horse while riding out with Bill, Charles and John. Getting close to the spot Max is at, they all stop quickly as they hear a very loud and pain filled scream. "Max!" Arthur spurs his horse on further towards the scream before they dismount and run through the bushes to see two dead O'Driscolls on the ground with a knife in the head of one and three O'Driscolls holding Max down while one of them releases a limp arm. As the O'Driscoll men look up towards Arthur and the others, they go to reach for their guns before being shot in the head and falling to the ground limp. Arthur rushes to over to Max on the ground and checks for a pulse. Feeling a pulse, Arthur relaxes slightly before looking to his buddies, "Charles, Bill, help me turn him over." Before they can, Arthur hears wheezing from Max before he coughs out blood. "It...hurts... everything hurts... Arm... dislocated..." "Hey, easy buddy. We are going to turn you over to take a better look at you bud and then get you help." Charles and Bill rush over as the kneel down and gently start to turn Max onto his back who cries out in pain slightly.

Getting a better look at Max, Arthur freezes in his place seeing his condition. A bloody face, swollen eye, wheezing from what he can assume is a broken rib or two and a dislocated arm. "John, ride to Valentine quickly and give the doctor a heads up as to what's going on. We'll be right behind you." John nods as he disappears before Arthur looks at Max again, "Kid, stay with us. Can you stand?" He watches as Max coughs up blood and shakes his head. "Okay, we're going to have to move you bud. Hang in there, stay awake. Charles, Bill, once I get on Athena, help him up carefully and set him behind me." Whistling for Athena, Arthur waits for a moment before he watches his horse appear as he mounts up. Turning slightly, he watches as Charles and Bill carefully help Max to his feet as he groans in pain before being set behind Arthur. Taking some rope, Charles gently ties Max to Arthur so he doesn't fall off. "Both of you head back to camp. Tell Dutch what happened and try to distract her so she doesn't worry too much." Both of them nod as they take off while he starts riding quickly as fast as he can to Valentine. "You still awake back there Max?" "Still here.. Whole body hurts.." Eventually with Valentine in view, Arthur feels more weight against his back as he looks over his shoulder at Max, "Max? You awake at all?" With no response from the man, Arthur mentally curses as he reaches the doctor's office to see John and the doc waiting for him. "Doc, he just passed out when we arrived in town. He's pretty bad looking and has a dislocated arm. I don't know what else but can you take a look?" The doc nods as John helps untie Max and carry him inside as Arthur dismounts as he hitches his horse to the post before walking in. "John, head back to camp. I'll stay the night." Looking at the doctor, Arthur rubs his face for a moment. "Sir, can you try to hold your friend so I can pop his dislocated shoulder back in. Plus, I don't want to scare you too badly but your friend may need surgery"

After helping the doctor put Max's shoulder back into place, Arthur waits out in the lobby for a few hours before the door to the back room opens. "How bad is it doc?" The doctor sighs as he wipes his hands off on a towel, "He's got a swollen eye, a broken nose, a couple broken ribs which one of them punctured his lung, a broken wrist which was on the same side of the dislocated arm, and a whole mess of cuts and bruises." "Is he going to be okay?" "I'll have to keep an eye on him tonight and if he's still kicking in the morning then I can tell you more." Sighing deeply, Arthur nods as he thanks the doctor and leaves the office as he heads to the hotel for the evening. Setting his hat on the dresser, Arthur sits down on the bed as he sets his head in his hands. _What a mess.. Max please make it through the night. Do it for me. Hell do it for your wife and unborn child._


	22. A Close Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being patched up, Max begins his long recovery at camp.

**A Close Call**

**Arthur's P.O.V.**

The morning light poured into the room as Arthur slowly sat up. Rubbing his face slightly, he looks out the window to see the streets bustling with people before getting off the bed and picking his hat up. Sighing, Arthur walks out of his hotel room as he walks down the stairs and outside while making his way to the doctor's office. Opening the door, Arthur walks in and is greeted by the receptionist who gets up to notify the doctor in the other room. After waiting for a couple minutes, the doctor walks out wiping his hands off while nodding to Arthur. "Good morning, I believe you are here for your friend. Good news is that he survived the night and is currently sleeping." "And the bad news?" The man beckons Arthur as the two of them walk into the back room as Arthur sees Max on the bed sleeping with his arm in a sling. "Your friend seems to have gone through quite the beating. Besides the dislocated arm and the cuts, I did have to stitch a deep cut on his head, fixed the two ribs that had apparently punctured his lung slightly, stitched his side up and cleaned up the other cuts on him. His shoulder will have to be rotated once or twice a day and he'll have to be on bed rest for at least a couple weeks. No heavy lifting either." Arthur nods and before he can say anything, he hears a lot of talking outside as he leaves the room and walks out of the office to see Hosea, Lenny and Sean pulling up in a wagon with Bill and Charles riding up on their horses. "Morning guys." Hosea looks at Arthur with a somber look, "How's our boy doing?" Scratching his cheek, Arthur sighs slightly before looking at everyone, "Max is alive, damaged but alive. He's just going to be bed bound for a bit. Bill, Charles, will you help me carry Max into the back of the wagon?"

The two men nod as they dismount and follow Arthur into the office and to the back room as Bill notices the state of Max, "Christ, he looks worse now that he's cleaned up." The doctor looks to the men and nods to them as he helps carry Max outside and gently into the back of the wagon. Thanking the doctor, Arthur mounts up on Athena and follows the wagon out of town as Hosea looks over Max in the back while they travel. The ride back to camp was quiet while they all kept an eye on the area around them. Reaching camp, Arthur rides up to see Dutch immediately walk over to the wagon as he takes a look at Max and sighs, "God, he looks like hell. Alright, let's get him into the tent and on the cot. This is going to be a long healing process for him." With a nod, Arthur, Bill, Charles and Sean all help carefully carry Max into his tent as Mary Beth walks in and gasps at the sight of her husband. "Is he going to be okay?" Arthur pulls her into a hug, "I hope so Mary Beth. You'll have to stay by his side while he heals. We'll help as much as we can as well but it'll be a team effort." Mary Beth nods as she sits down next to Max and watches his sleeping form as he starts to shift in his sleep before opening his eyes as he looks towards both Mary Beth and Arthur, "Hey.."

**Maxwell's P.O.V.**

He slowly opened his eyes as he looks towards the two figures in the tent with him as his vision focuses to see Mary Beth and Arthur. "Hey..." "Nice to see you awake Max. How are you feeling?" "I feel like I got hit by a train." Max looks at Mary Beth who looks like she's on the verge of tears as he moves his free hand and holds her's as he gives a small smile. "Hey, don't cry. I'm still here and everything is going to be okay." She nods as she lifts his hand and kisses his hand as Arthur opens the tent flap to leave, "I'll leave you two alone. You two will need some time alone together." As Arthur leaves, Mary Beth pulls a chair up next to him and stays by his side for the remainder of the day. The next day rolls around as Max watches as Dutch enter the tent and nods to him. "Max, what the hell happened?" "Kieran and I were fishing when I noticed some O'Driscoll's in the distance. I took my binoculars out for a better look when I noticed that they had a dog. Told Kieran to come back to camp. I was surrounded by 6 of them and managed to take two out before being dog piled and beaten to hell. One of them mentioned that Colm was pissed off that I'd kill one of his men and was present in what should have been Arthur's spot. That treaty was a trap for Arthur." He looked at Dutch's surprised face as he seems to try to think of something to say before sighing and walking out of the tent without another word. His attention moves to Mary Beth as she gently kisses his forehead and gives a gentle smile, "Get some rest love. I'll be here when you wake up." Max returns the gentle smile and nods as he falls asleep.

_The forest was dense and humid as he walked through it. Looking up towards the tree tops, Max can see the sun shining through before turning his attention back to the land around him as he hears a very evil and maniacal laughter coming from the left to him. Moving to his left, Max walks through the trees until spotting movement just ahead of him. Pushing through the bushes, he freezes in his tracks as he sees a figure standing over his mother's dead body. The figure turns to reveal Colm O'Driscoll with a malicious grin. "There you are boy. You're too late to save your mother. Now come here so you can join her!" He laughs darkly as Colm's body changes into a very large grizzly bear before charging Max. Snapping out of it, Max turns and starts running away as fast as he can before turning around a tree and running another direction. Looking behind him, the bear seems to have vanished which causes him to stop and catch his breath for a moment as he looks around. The area around him seems to be too quiet for his liking before suddenly being tackled to the ground. Looking behind him, his eyes widen in terror as the bear is on top of him roaring. Max tries to get out of the bear's grasp as the bear lowers their head and bites into him, causing him to scream. "Max! Max, wake up!"_ His eyes shoot open as he pants hard as he sees Mary Beth looking at him worriedly. "Are you okay Max? Was it one of the two nightmares?" Groaning slightly, Max uses his free arm to wipe the sweat off his forehead and shakes his head slightly. "No, it was both of them but this time Colm was there. He killed my mother, taunted me, and then turned into that bear." "It's okay, it was just a dream. He's not going to hurt you again as long as you're with everyone." Max nods as he sets his hand against her cheek, "What would I ever do without you?" Mary Beth giggles slightly before kissing him, "You'd probably go insane."

**Author's Note:**

> Next Chapter I will give the description of dear ol Maxwell. :)


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